A fine Indus Valley terracotta vessel with black pigment decoration. It has a globular body which narrows at the neck and opens at the top into a flared mouth. The upper body is decorated with three concentric bands and the neck and is completely painted with a light black wash (although some of the pigment is now missing due to the age of the piece). The lower body and base are unadorned. There are earthly encrustations over the surface of the piece and there is some flaking over the vessel body. There are also some larger chips to the rim. The Indus Valley Civilisation extended from what today is North East Afghanistan to Pakistan and North West India. It was one of three early and widespread cradles of civilisation along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. At its peak, the Indus Valley Civilisation, which included such sites as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, may have had a population of over five million, who developed new techniques in pottery, seal carving, and metallurgy. Measurements: Circa H 12.4cm x W 10.5cm Provenance: From the David Gold (deceased) collection, 1970’s.