Tall Egyptian Predynastic Naqada Blacktop Vase

**Originally Listed At $1500**

Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic period, late Naqada I to Naqada II, ca. 3600 to 3300 BCE. A lovely coil-formed Nile silt pottery vessel with a highly-burnished, russet-hued surface made with a thin iron-oxide slip. The vase has a slender ovoid body which rests gently upon a round but stable base, a deep interior cavity, and a rolled rim. The upper black-hued portion is comprised of thick carbon deposits formed by exposing the top to thick clouds of smoke for extended periods of time in an oxygen-deprived environment. Black-top vessels originally 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 is known about them except that they were focused around the site of El-Amra in central Egypt, west of the Nile River. Size: 4.25" W x 7.75" H (10.8 cm x 19.7 cm).

Pre-Dynastic Egyptian black-top vessels were traditionally made from silt deposits taken from the Nile river due to their abundance in iron and silica. After the pot had dried but before it was fired, it would first be burnished and rubbed smooth with a small stone to create the pinstripe vertical striations still visible today. An iron-rich slip would then be applied just before firing; when placed in an oxygen-rich environment, the elevated temperatures would create the vessels' signature red-orange hue.

After the end of the Naqada III period around 3,000 BCE, the use of Nile silt in pottery creations fell out of favor with the Pre-Dynastic Egyptians. This is due to the increase in popularity of marl clay, a newly-discovered material for creating terracotta objects which was easier to shape and enabled firing at far greater temperatures than the highly-porous silt.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1980s

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#146860
Condition Report: Top repaired from multiple pieces with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor abrasions and nicks to base, body, and rim, with light pitting and encrustations, minor fading to original pigmentation, and stabilization to one large fissure. Nice earthen deposits throughout.