Marble vase with high foot and lug handles

Technical Analysis: Ultraviolet-induced visible luminescence examination, optical microscopy


This collared jar carved from a piece of white marble with greyish-blue veining is complete with mended losses at the rim and lugs. It has a conical neck, and a wide mouth with a thickened out-turned rim on a rather spherical body, which stands on a conical foot with ring-like, wide flat edges and a hollowed underside. A continuous incision runs around the rim of the neck. Four crescent-shaped lugs, carved crosswise and somewhat unevenly, protrude considerably from the sides of the vessel. They are perforated where they meet the walls of the vessel. In general, the execution is not symmetrical. The interior and exterior surfaces have been smoothened, but some annular tool marks are visible on the interior. The size of the jar is within the range for its well-known type.(1) L.2022.38.36, .90, .110 and .132 seem to be of similar size.


There are small, shallow losses at the rim and one larger chip has been filled and painted. A crack that forks down from the rim has been filled. There are small losses at the lug edges and the perforations are clogged with soil. The overall surface is pitted. Scratches and abrasions are noticeable in some places on the surface. There is a spotty, light-brown accretion on the neck that increases in density on the belly and part of the foot. The interior is covered with a thick layer of accretion.


Georgios Gavalas, Federico Carò, and Wendy Walker


(1) See Getz-Gentle, Pat. 1996. The Stone Vessels of the Cyclades in the Early Bronze Age. pp. 25-26, University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press. Its closest parallel is A57, Athens NAM 4760 from Paros Glyfa, T22, described on p.243, pl. 3b, 2 which is attributed to Sculptor A; See also Rambach, Jörg. 2000. Kykladen I, Die Frühe Bronzenzeit Grab- und Siedlungsbefunde. Athens NAM 4760, Paros, Glypha Grave 22, pl. 5.2, p.16, pl. 143.1, Bonn: R. Habelt.