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LOT 0498
Cypriot Redware Cup with Wishbone Handle
1450-1200 B.C.
5 1/2 in. (96 grams, 14 cm).
Cup or bowl of spherical shape, unpainted, fitted with a wishbone handle. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx P.A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s.
LiteratureCf. similar cup at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.74.51.1148, Cesnola collection.
FootnotesThe presence of Achaeans in Cyprus, in late Cypriot II, also significantly influenced the life of the island from a ceramic production point of view. The social changes and new habits that developed among the elites of the main urban centres of the island included elaborate funerary displays, a means through which the emerging elite could express its identity and differentiate itself from other social groups. The ceramic forms were often cups intended for elaborate libation rituals, symposia, or ceremonies equivalent to Near Eastern marzeah, during which drinking services including kraters for mixing wine, cups and jugs were used. Alongside the more elaborate Achaean pottery, local Cypriot pottery (white-slip and base-ring) was still in use.
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Opening Bid: £100
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