Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl
Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl
Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl
Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl
Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl
Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl

Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl

SKU: MS.0140

Origin: Crete
Circa: Minoan I - II, 2000 BC to 1700 BC
Dimensions: 2" Height (5.1 cm)
Medium: Breccia

Minoan artisans were crafting beautiful and meticulously carved stone vessels since the late third millenium BC.  Examples of such refined stoneware have been found in settlements, cemeteries, and sanctuaries alike; with the smallest examples likely used as votive offerings. Particularly popular and long-lived forms are bird’s-nest (such as this one) and blossom bowls. The latter were perhaps imitating Egyptian lotus flowers in bloom. Both likely served as containers for ointments. Taking on a similar shape as a bird's nest, this vessel is squat in form with softly tapering sides, a broad flattened rim and flat base.

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Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 10 July 1990, lot 483 (part lot)

With no repair or restoration. The exterior surface worn and weathered, with patches of worn pitting to the breccia structure. The interior with surface wear and weathering.

"Bird's Nest Bowls" are commonly found in Crete, but their distinctive shape derives from Egyptian examples of a similar period. The two cultures shared much due to their Bronze Age trade routes. Likely a symbol of wealth and sophistication, these vessels can be found in Cretan graves and were likely used to hold offerings of scented oils.

For similar examples, 'Breccia bird's-nest bowl', The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art, New York, inv. no.26.31.431., and P. Warren, Minoan Stone Vases, London, 1969, p.225.

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Minoan Breccia Bird's Nest Bowl

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