Vase in the form of a bird

First Intermediate Period–early Middle Kingdom

ca. 2100–2010 BC

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 103

The body of this pottery vase of Nile clay is in the form of a bird. The bird’s head and the tail have been broken off and it stands on four small feet. The body of the vessel is covered all over with a red coating and decorated with notches on the rim and wide bands of white paint which stretch horizontally across the widest part of the vessel. The birdlike aspect of the pot is further emphasized by two birds molded in clay and applied on each side of the neck . Vases in the shape of animals were popular in Egypt at all periods beginning in the Predynastic, both in pottery and stone. Forms that appear whimsical to us had a deeper symbolic meaning for the ancient Egyptians. Similar bird vases were found in the First Intermediate Period tombs at Beni Hasan.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Vase in the form of a bird
Period: First Intermediate Period–early Middle Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 9–12
Date: ca. 2100–2010 BC
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Pottery, paint
Dimensions: H. 17 × L. 21.5 cm (6 11/16 × 8 7/16 in.)
Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, 1932
Object Number: 32.8.1
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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