In the Iron Age Mediterranean, handles and footless bronze bowls featuring hemispherical containers and curved profiles were richly ornamented with Greek and Etruscan motifs. In Greek times, such bronze bowls, sometimes with elaborately decorated figural and zoomorphic ornaments, were known as ‘phiale mesomphalos’ (ϕιάλη μεσόμφαλος). They are believed to have been used as a cremation container or a dedicatory offering in ancient Greece, in accordance with Homer’s literature. However, bronze bowls of this kind originated in the ancient Near East. Differentiating from their Greek counterparts, bronze bowls of this type might have been an elite object in Assyria, and were probably used by royals and aristocrats for daily purposes.
Neo-Assyrian Bronze Bowl
£ 250.00
A finely cast and hammered bronze bowl featuring a hemispherical container. Its slightly convex walls render an elegant continuously curved profile, ending in a thickened rim. Both the exterior and interior of the bowl are smooth and unworked.
Condition: Fine condition, some patination and earthly encrustations to the surface.
In stock
| Weight | 260.9 g |
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| Dimensions | W 13 x H 4.8 cm |
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