Ancient Egypt Naqada II - Thinite Period c. 3500 – 2900 BC Limestone Height 9.1 cm PROVENANCE: Private collection of C.P., Barcelona. Acquired in the Paris art market. Private collection of Sr. Bouvier, Switzerland, 1959. Acquired 1930 - 1960 from the antiquities dealer, Nicolas Tano, in Cairo, Alexandria, by Maurice Bouivier (1901 - 1981). For the majority of his working life, Maurice Bouvier, a lawyer from the Jura region of France, works at the University of Alexandria where he teaches law between 1930 and 1960. He nurtures his love for antique and Muslim civilisation in Egypt where he starts to collect, acquiring objects from simple peddlers or occasional vendors as well as from Cairo and Alexandria’s greatest antique dealers. During these years, he acquires various types of artefacts: Oushebtis, Coptic era terra cottas terra cottas, Islamic textiles, bronzes or jewellery. CONDITION: In a good state of preservation, without restoration. The stone has a beautifully polished surface. This elongated or “barrel” globular vase with a flat rounded bottom has a simple and elegant design. It was cut from a finely polished block of limestone. The circular opening has a wide, flat lip while the neck, practically non-existent, is wide and very short. The handles, resembling cylindrical ears, are drilled from both sides and are precisely positioned opposite each other on the vessel’s shoulder. The interior is well hollowed out, conforming in shape to the outer contour and is unpolished, leaving multiple horizontal grooves, the marks left by the tools used to work the piece.