Indus Valley Terracotta Cups with geometric decoration. - 75 mm
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€ 1
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Selected by Ruth Garrido Vila
Directed the Ifergan Collection Museum, specialising in Phoenician and Mediterranean archaeology.
Estimate € 300 - € 350
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Beaker with geometric decoration, a terracotta vessel measuring 75 × 98 × 98 mm from the Indus-Tal culture dating to ca. 4000–3500 BC, in restored condition and authentic.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Early Bronze Age bowl from the Tepe-Sialk tradition with geometric decoration, ca. 4000–3500 BCE.
Characteristic painted ceramic bowl of the late Chalcolithic / early 4th millennium BCE, probably from the Iranian highland and stylistically closely related to the ceramics of Tepe Sialk (Period III).
The bowl, made of beige to ochre-colored clay, possesses a deep, evenly rounded body with a slightly inset base and a nearly vertically terminating rim. The exterior bears a monochrome dark brown painted decoration with geometrically abstract motifs. Wide horizontal bands divide the wall; above these, vertical groups of lines, angles, triangles, and hooked motifs alternate. The restrained color scheme and the rhythmic arrangement of the geometric elements are characteristic of the highly developed painted ceramic of this period.
A notably close parallel is in the Musée du Louvre (Inv. AO 17811 / S 308): https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010142560 The vessel there, excavated at Tepe Sialk, is described as a deep bowl with geometric decoration of the Sialk III-3 period and also dated to 4000–3500 BCE. With a height of 7.9 cm it nearly matches the height of the specimen presented here.
On account of this close typological and chronological agreement, a classification within the Tepe Sialk cultural sphere or the corresponding ceramic tradition of the Iranian highland seems more plausible than the more general designation “Indus Valley.”
Culture/Region: Iranian highland, Tepe-Sialk Tradition
Dating: ca. 4000–3500 BCE
Material: beige clay, dark brown monochrome painting
Dimensions: 75 × 98 × 98 mm
Condition:
Assembled from fragments, a few smaller parts added
Reference:
Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités Orientales:
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010142560
Provenance:
Acquired in 2026 in the German art market, previously since the 1990s in a Munich private collection.
The invoice is available and will be provided to the buyer in copy.
Early Bronze Age bowl from the Tepe-Sialk tradition with geometric decoration, ca. 4000–3500 BCE.
Characteristic painted ceramic bowl of the late Chalcolithic / early 4th millennium BCE, probably from the Iranian highland and stylistically closely related to the ceramics of Tepe Sialk (Period III).
The bowl, made of beige to ochre-colored clay, possesses a deep, evenly rounded body with a slightly inset base and a nearly vertically terminating rim. The exterior bears a monochrome dark brown painted decoration with geometrically abstract motifs. Wide horizontal bands divide the wall; above these, vertical groups of lines, angles, triangles, and hooked motifs alternate. The restrained color scheme and the rhythmic arrangement of the geometric elements are characteristic of the highly developed painted ceramic of this period.
A notably close parallel is in the Musée du Louvre (Inv. AO 17811 / S 308): https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010142560 The vessel there, excavated at Tepe Sialk, is described as a deep bowl with geometric decoration of the Sialk III-3 period and also dated to 4000–3500 BCE. With a height of 7.9 cm it nearly matches the height of the specimen presented here.
On account of this close typological and chronological agreement, a classification within the Tepe Sialk cultural sphere or the corresponding ceramic tradition of the Iranian highland seems more plausible than the more general designation “Indus Valley.”
Culture/Region: Iranian highland, Tepe-Sialk Tradition
Dating: ca. 4000–3500 BCE
Material: beige clay, dark brown monochrome painting
Dimensions: 75 × 98 × 98 mm
Condition:
Assembled from fragments, a few smaller parts added
Reference:
Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités Orientales:
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010142560
Provenance:
Acquired in 2026 in the German art market, previously since the 1990s in a Munich private collection.
The invoice is available and will be provided to the buyer in copy.
Details
Culture
Indus Valley
Century/timeframe
4000-3500 v. Chr.
Name of object
Cups with geometric decoration.
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2026
Material
Terracotta
Country acquired from
Germany
Condition
Restored
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
75 mm
Previous owner - year acquired
1990
Width
98 mm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Germany
Depth
98 mm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
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The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
