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Clay bowl: E.GA.4669.1943

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Current Location: Gallery 24

Titles

clay bowl

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Description

Clay handmade bowl, with red painted decoration in the form of triangles and a basket pattern on the base .

Clay handmade bowl, iwth red painted decoration of inverted triangles and a rope design imitating basketwork at the base. The bowl has a pointed base and is not able to stand upright without a support. The clay is nile silt and this particular type of finish is known as 'egg-shell' ware. The walls are very thin measuring 3.0 mm on average. The inside is black and the exterial is light brown and polished. Both inside and outside are burnished (this was usually with a stone). It is possible that the basket design at the base of this object was a reference to the true baskets that were used to support such vessels or that it represents a support that was used during the manufacturing process. It was most likely made in Nubia (southern Egypt or Sudan) and was probably found in Egypt in a grave. The bowl has broken in a number of places and has been repaired.

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 0.208 m
Height: 0.112 m

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1943) by Gayer-Anderson, R. G. (Major)

Dating

Terminal A-Group
Production date: circa 3000 BC

Materials used in production

Clay

Techniques used in production

Painted
Burnished
Handmade

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: E.GA.4669.1943
Primary reference Number: 59121
Oldadmincategory: P

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 18 July 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Antiquities

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "clay bowl" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/59121 Accessed: 2025-12-05 08:51:18

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/59121 |title=clay bowl |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 08:51:18|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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