Marble bowl

ca. 2700–2400/2300 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 151
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
Technical analysis: Ultraviolet-induced visible light luminescence examination, Raman spectroscopy


This marble, rolled-rim bowl is intact except for minor, mended losses at the rim. A groove around the interior of the rim underscores the plasticity of its rolled shape. There are abundant remains of a pinkish-red pigment in the interior of the bowl. Technical analysis shows that the red pigment is either a mixture of cinnabar and calcite, or a very thin layer of cinnabar on top of a layer of calcite. Like many examples of this common type of bowl, this one may have been used for mixing pigments.(1).


Sandy MacGillivray, Wendy Walker, Federico Carò


(1) See, Getz-Gentle, Pat. 1996. Stone Vessels of the Cyclades in the Early Bronze Age. pp. 99-105, University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Marble bowl
  • Period: Early Cycladic II
  • Date: ca. 2700–2400/2300 BCE
  • Culture: Cycladic
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Height: 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
    Diameter: 7 9/16 in. (19.2 cm)
    Thickness: 3/8 in. (1 cm)
  • Classification: Stone Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Leonard N. Stern Collection, Loan from the Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Culture
  • Object Number: L.2022.38.111
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art