Archaic I

Terracotta jug

Ships provided the link between Cyprus and the surrounding world, and the island was renowned for its shipbuilding. The vessel here is clearly provided with a mast, a sail shown furled, and a pair of steering oars. Of particular interest is the bird's head ornamenting the stern. This feature seems to have originated in the Aegean during the prehistoric period, and it survived well into the first millennium B.C. We do not know if the ship is Cypriot or foreign. 9 in., 26oz., 1 11/16 × 2 5/16 × 6 3/4 in. (22.9 cm, 0.7 kg, 4.3 × 5.9 × 17.1 cm) Width: 7 1/2 in. × 12 in. (19.1 × 30.5 cm)

Classification

Object type: Pottery vessel
Shape: Jug
Motifs: Ship, Bird
Material: Clay
Period: Iron AgeCypro-ArchaicCypro-Archaic I
Date: 750 - 600 BC
Place of production: Cyprus

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Accession No.

74.51.511

Collection

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provenance

“Found at Ormidia” (Cesnola 1894, pl. CXXIX. 964) Before 1874, found in Ormidhia, Cyprus; until 1874, collection of Luigi Palma di Cesnola; acquired in 1874, purchased from L.P. di Cesnola.

References

Cesnola, Luigi Palma di. 1894. A Descriptive Atlas of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Vol. 2. pl. CXXIX. 964, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company.Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 761, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Barnes, Lorna and Ellen Salzman. 1998. "Preliminary Investigations of Surface Decoration on a Group of Ancient Terracottas from Cyprus." Glass, Ceramics and Related Materials : ICOM Committee for Conservation Glass, Ceramics, and Related Materials Working Group, & Institute of Arts and Design Department of Conservation Studies, Alice B. Paterakis, ed. p. 84, Vantaa, Finland: EVTEK Institute of Art and Design, Dept. of Conservation Studies.Karageorghis, Vassos, Joan Mertens, and Marice E. Rose. 2000. Ancient Art from Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. no. 154, p. 95, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Bombardieri, Luca and Elisa Panero. 2021. Cyprus : Crossroads of Civilization : Guide to the exhibition p. 89, London: DeArtcom.Bombardieri, Luca and Elisa Panero. 2021. Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations : exhibition catalog no. 088, p. 283, London: DeArtcom.