Egyptian black-topped red-ware vessel
Ceramic, Predynastic Period
Donated by Marjorie Fern, 2021-2022, in memory of Graham Fern (potter).
Tall reasonably narrow, cylindrical ceramic vessel, which widens towards the mouth. Red polished ware with blackened top about rim of vessel.
The exact find spot for this pot is not known, but it may have been excavated from a tomb. Vessels found in ancient Egyptian tombs could have been used for a range of purposes, such as to hold food or drink for the deceased in the afterlife, or to hold the organs of the deceased to preserve them for the afterlife. Further research will be required to establish the context for this vessel.
This Egyptian vessel is one of 24 donated to the Teece Museum in Christchurch in 2021 by Marjorie Fern. The collection has an interesting history. The pots were originally donated to Falmouth Museum in Cornwall in 1927 by a Mrs Cuthbert Williams in the name of a Major Williams. After Falmouth Museum closed, the collection was then sold in 1950 at auction and purchased by a local collector, Frank Strike. The collection was purchased in the 1970s by potters Graham and Marjorie Fern, who finally gifted the pots to the Teece.
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