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An Egyptian granodiorite tall cylindrical jar
Early Dynastic Period, 1st Dynasty, circa 3000-2750 B.C.
Dimensions: 26.3cm high, 14.6cm diam.
This finely crafted vessel exemplifies the high level of technical skill achieved by Egyptian stoneworkers in the Early Dynastic Period. Carved from granodiorite—a hard, coarse-grained igneous rock prized for its durability and aesthetic qualities—the jar attests to both the symbolic and practical value of stone containers in early Egyptian society.
The form is tall and cylindrical, with a subtly flaring body that tapers slightly towards a carefully smoothed flat base, ensuring stability. The rim is rounded and everted, a slender band of finely carved serpentine decoration at the neck.
Such stone jars were highly valued in early Egypt, often associated with elite contexts, including temple offerings and funerary assemblages. Their production required not only access to hard stone quarries but also advanced techniques of abrasion and polishing, demonstrating the organized labor and specialized craftsmanship already well developed in the 1st Dynasty. The choice of granodiorite, a material difficult to work yet striking in appearance, further underscores the prestige of the vessel’s owner and the symbolic importance of durable containers in the expression of permanence and continuity within early Egyptian ritual and burial practices.
Provenance: Colonel Norman Colville, M.C. (1893-1974) collection, England; and thence by descent; Sold Bonhams, London, 7 November 2002, lot 4; Private collection
Norman Robert Colville was a British Army officer, industrialist, and distinguished art collector. Educated at the University of Cambridge, he left his studies to enlist in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders during the First World War. In 1915 he was awarded the Military Cross for his courage in conducting multiple reconnaissance missions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt.
Following the war, Colville entered his family’s steel manufacturing business, though his health—severely affected by wartime gas exposure—prompted his relocation to Cornwall. There he purchased Penheale Manor, which was subsequently redesigned and extended by the renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens to accommodate both a residence and a private gallery.
Colville assembled an exceptional collection of artworks, which included masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Fra Bartolommeo, as well as an important group of Near and Middle Eastern antiquities. Among his most notable acquisitions was the celebrated Mesopotamian relief known as the Burney Relief.
Early Dynastic Period, 1st Dynasty, circa 3000-2750 B.C.
Dimensions: 26.3cm high, 14.6cm diam.
This finely crafted vessel exemplifies the high level of technical skill achieved by Egyptian stoneworkers in the Early Dynastic Period. Carved from granodiorite—a hard, coarse-grained igneous rock prized for its durability and aesthetic qualities—the jar attests to both the symbolic and practical value of stone containers in early Egyptian society.
The form is tall and cylindrical, with a subtly flaring body that tapers slightly towards a carefully smoothed flat base, ensuring stability. The rim is rounded and everted, a slender band of finely carved serpentine decoration at the neck.
Such stone jars were highly valued in early Egypt, often associated with elite contexts, including temple offerings and funerary assemblages. Their production required not only access to hard stone quarries but also advanced techniques of abrasion and polishing, demonstrating the organized labor and specialized craftsmanship already well developed in the 1st Dynasty. The choice of granodiorite, a material difficult to work yet striking in appearance, further underscores the prestige of the vessel’s owner and the symbolic importance of durable containers in the expression of permanence and continuity within early Egyptian ritual and burial practices.
Provenance: Colonel Norman Colville, M.C. (1893-1974) collection, England; and thence by descent; Sold Bonhams, London, 7 November 2002, lot 4; Private collection
Norman Robert Colville was a British Army officer, industrialist, and distinguished art collector. Educated at the University of Cambridge, he left his studies to enlist in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders during the First World War. In 1915 he was awarded the Military Cross for his courage in conducting multiple reconnaissance missions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt.
Following the war, Colville entered his family’s steel manufacturing business, though his health—severely affected by wartime gas exposure—prompted his relocation to Cornwall. There he purchased Penheale Manor, which was subsequently redesigned and extended by the renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens to accommodate both a residence and a private gallery.
Colville assembled an exceptional collection of artworks, which included masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Fra Bartolommeo, as well as an important group of Near and Middle Eastern antiquities. Among his most notable acquisitions was the celebrated Mesopotamian relief known as the Burney Relief.