OLD KINGDOM, 3RD-EARLY 4TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 2686-2566 B.C.

This elegant shallow bowl with a deeply recurved shoulder imitates a form widespread in terracotta, often bearing a high polish and red slip: the “Meydum ware” bowl, associated with elite eating and drinking. For a discussion of the early origins of the type, including forms similar to this example, see pp. 409-427 in C. Köhler, “Die Entstehung eines Leitfossils: Neues zur Herkunft und Entwicklung der sog. Meydum-Schalen,” in R. Bussmann et al., eds., Spuren der Altägyptischen Gesellschaft: Festschrift für Stephan J. Seidlmayer.