PREDYNASTIC PERIOD, NAQADA III, CIRCA 3200-3000 B.C.

This fine vessel exemplifies the complex stone working techniques Egyptians attained at an early date. While the precise method of hollowing out the core of such vessels is unknown, it is postulated that craftsmen used a twist-reverse-twist drill to bore into the stone. The surface was then further polished with stones and quartz sands and the fine details - such as the lug handles and lip - were incised with copper chisels (see P.T. Nicholson and I. Shaw, eds., Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, pp. 64-65).

Dolph and Annette Leuthold were collectors of African and Oceanic art and Egyptian and Classical antiquities. A large Cycladic Marble Head formerly in their collection (now in the J. Paul Getty Villa, no. 96.AA.27) was at one point the most expensive antiquity ever sold at auction. This vessel was kept in their entryway, the first object encountered by visitors at their Connecticut home.