Squat Amphora with Leafy Decoration

Place of OriginEgypt, likely around Fayum or Middle Egypt

Date1st or 2nd century CE

DimensionsH. 7 1/16 in. (17.9 cm); Diam. 5 7/16 in. (13.8 cm)

MediumFaience

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1969.370

Not on View

DescriptionThis is a sturdy, squat vase (called an amphora) with two wide handles and a broad, flat mouth. It's made of a glazed material called faience, common in ancient Egypt. The main body has a dark blue-green glaze, while the rim, bottom, and raised decorations are a lighter blue-green. A wreath pattern decorates the shoulder, and raised leaf shapes (stylized lettuce) cover the body. The dark glaze shows fine cracking due to age, and the handles and rim have been repaired.

Label TextThis amphora embodies the cultural fusion of Roman Egypt. While shaped like Greek pottery , it's made from faience, a traditional Egyptian glazed quartz material. Its vibrant two-tone glaze showcases applied leaf decorations . Scholars suggest these leaves might be lettuce, sacred to the fertility god Min , or perhaps lotus, laurel, or olive leaves, all with symbolic meanings . Possibly crafted in the Fayum region , a vibrant agricultural center where Egyptian traditions mingled with Hellenistic and Roman influences during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, this ritual vessel likely held offerings for religious festivals.Published ReferencesLuckner, Kurt T. "The Art of Egypt, Part 2." Toledo Museum News, New Series: Vol. 14, No. 3, Fall 1971. p. 77, repr. Fig. 19, p. 79.

Grimm, Gunter. "Two Early Imperial Faience Vessels from Egypt," Miscellanea Wilbouriana, Brooklyn, 1972. p. 74, note 9.

Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 97, repr. (col.).

Puma, Richard Daniel de, Art In Roman Life: Villa to Grave, Rome, L'erma di Bretschneider, 2009, p. 91, repr. (col.) p. 90, fig. 47.

Exhibition HistoryCedar Rapids Museum of Art, Art in Roman Life: Villa to Grave, September 2003 - August 2005 (no catalogue).

Toledo Museum of Art, The Egypt Experience: Secrets of the Tomb, October 29, 2010-January 8, 2012.

Comparative ReferencesCf. Nenna, Marie-Dominique, and Mervat Seif el-Din, "La vaisselle en faïence d'époque gréco-romaine au Musée gréco-romain d'Alexandrie: compléments et typologie," in Alexandrina 4, edited by Jean-Yves Empereur, Études Alexandrines 32, Alexandrie, Centre d'Études Alexandrines, 2014, pp. 213-293 (esp. p. 284, Type T18.1).

Cf. Nenna, Marie Dominique and Mervat Seif el-Din 2000. La vaisselle en faïence d'époque gréco-romaine: catalogue du Musée gréco-romain d'Alexandrie, 4. Études Alexandriennes, Cairo, cf. Type T18.