LATE MINOAN IIIC, CIRCA 1200-1100 B.C.

This impressive larnax is elliptical in form, tapered, sloping toward the flat base, with each side centered by a horizonal handle below the flaring rim, square in section. There is painted decoration throughout the exterior, including vertical panels of chevron below each handle, creating four distinct zones, each centered by a highly stylized papyrus plant arranged horizontally. The upper and lower edges of each zone are filled with concentric semicircles, some of which are stacked. On the interior is a broad band below the rim and at each corner, with excess paint dripping downward in places.

The bathtub larnax was in fashion on Crete during the late Bronze Age, and were thought to have served as a bath prior to its secondary usage for burial of the deceased (see R. Higgins, Minoan and Mycenaean Art, p. 122). Most are painted with motifs from the natural world, as seen also on pottery and frescos. For related examples, see M. Tsipopoulou and L. Vagnetti, “Workshop Attributions for some Late Minoan III East Cretan Larnakes,” in R. Laffineur and P.P. Betancourt eds., TEXNH: Craftsmen, Craftswomen and Craftsmanship in the Aegean Bronze Age.