Miniature vessel of Perneb
Old Kingdom
Sixty-eight model vessels of limestone were found scattered in Perneb's subterranean apartments. These would originally have been placed in the burial chamber to provide symbolic sustenance for the afterlife. Such sets of miniature vessels, solid or with only token cavities, first appear in tombs during the early Old Kingdom. At Giza, for example, several complete miniature table services were found, consisting of a basin and ewer for washing, seven vases for sacred oils, beer and wine jars, and many small cups and saucers.
Perneb's set of model vessels consists of four shouldered "beer" jars, four tapering bottles with high collars; two wine jars (each with two grooves around the body), seven cylindrical ointment containers, a jug with a single handle, and forty-nine bowls and saucers. A disk-shaped object was also found with this group of objects; this may be the top of a tiny offering table. This is one of the collared bottles.
