Ancient Greek Silver Mesomphalic phiale - 6×15×15 cm - (1)

TITLE: Mesomphalic phiale CULTURE: Greek PERIOD: 5th-4th Century BC MATERIAL: Silver DIMENSIONS: Diameter 15 cm; height 6 cm. PROVENANCE: Private collection, London. Acquired before 1980. CONDITION: Intact. DESCRIPTION: A recipient with a wide rim and worked in a rounded bowl-shape. The centre has a semi-spherical bulge that makes up the omphalos. The bowl was probably first beaten out to create a flat form. The base was then worked from the inside and the outside to create a thick metal circle. From this the piece was worked from the inside to achieve the bulbous bowl form without decoration on the omphalos. This phiale is one of the most characteristic bowls. It is a ritual bowl which was used to hold a beverage, probably alcoholic, and was also used for libations to the divinities. The history of this recipient form is very lengthy: it was very much favoured in the eastern and central Mediterranean area, to the point where it became the Greek vessel form par excellence for the religious act of libation as early as the Archaic Period around the 7th Century BC. The variations in shape on the original are multiple. In many cases it is difficult to determine the date and provenance of pieces that, except in exceptional cases, have no known archaeological context. BIBLIOGRAPHY: -\t. CABRERA, Paloma (ed.) . La colección Várez Fisa en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. 2003. ATTENTION: Packages will be sent from September 7th. Notes: The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested. This process could take between 1 and 2 months.