PREDYNASTIC ANCIENT EGYPTIAN HEART JAR
EGPYT, PREDYNASTIC PERIOD, C. 3200 B.C.
Estimate: £800 - £1,200
Auction: 13 March 2025 from 13:00 GMT
Description
carved and polished veined stone, the unguent jar in the form of a heart, with collared rim
Dimensions
7.6cm high
Provenance
Christie's, London, Antiquities, 25th April 2007, lot 59, sold to benefit The Hans Goedicke Foundation for Egyptology
Hans Goedicke (1926-2015), Vienna; acquired in Egypt between 1956-1958
Footnote
This small stone vessel is extraordinarily rare due to its distinctive shape, closely resembling a human heart. While heart-shaped cosmetic palettes, used for grinding pigments for body paint or eye makeup, are known from Predynastic graves and reflect both practical and ritual significance, heart-shaped vessels are far less common.