Egyptian Pre-Dynastic Naqada Black Top Bowl, TL Tested

**First Time At Auction**

Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic period, Naqada II to Naqada III, ca. 3500 to 3000 BCE. A redware pottery bowl, shaped using coil-forming using Nile silt pottery, with a black-hued upper body created via lengthy exposure to thick, carbon-rich smoke. The flat base flares outward to form the thick walls, and a gently flared rim surrounds the deep basin well. Black-topped vessels original rose to popularity during the early Naqada I, a culture which inhabited ancient Egypt during its pre-dynastic period. The Naqada were first described by famed archaeologist William Flinders Petrie, however relatively little about them is known except that they were focused primarily around the site of El-Amra in central Egypt. Size: 5.875" W x 4" H (14.9 cm x 10.2 cm)

Pre-Dynastic Egyptian black-topped vessels were traditionally made from silt deposits taken from the Nile river due to their abundance in iron and silica. After the vessel had dried - but before it was fired - it would be first burnished and rubbed smooth with a small stone to create the pinstripe vertical striations still visible today. Once completely burnished, the entire vessel was covered in an iron-rich slip just before firing. Before being subjected to an oxygen-deprived kiln to create the jet black deposits, the vessel is heated in an oxygen-rich environment with elevated temperatures to create its signature red-orange hue.

For a strikingly similar example, please see The British Museum, museum number EA67421.

A stylistically similar example of a larger form hammered for GBP 2,125 ($2,711.71) at Christie's, London, South Kensington "Antiquities" auction (sale 6060, April 14, 2011, lot 1).

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Sid Port collection, California, USA, 1980s

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#140235
Condition Report: Repaired from multiple large pieces, with two areas of restoration to rim with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines, and light adhesive residue along reattached break lines. Abrasions and pitting to base, walls, rim, and basin, with light fading to original colors. Light earthen deposits throughout. TL drill holes on rim exterior and underneath base.