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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2000.3
Title
Oil flask (aryballos) in the form of a rooster
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
6th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Rhodes
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/178552

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3740, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Egypt: Art for Eternity
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Faience
Technique
Mold-made
Dimensions
7.5 x 7 cm (2 15/16 x 2 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Charles Ede Limited, London (1988)], sold; to Private Collection (1988-2000) sold; [through Charles Ede Limited, London (2000)], to Harvard University Art Museums.


Purported formerly in the Gustave Mustaki Collection, Alexandria, Egypt and London.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, David M. Robinson Fund
Accession Year
2000
Object Number
2000.3
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The flat mouth concealed behind the rooster's head is the only indication that this faience object is hollow and could serve as a flask for scented oil. Two wings curve up on either side of the vessel opening, with feathers indicated by incised lines. The rooster's beak and wattle are complete, but its comb is partly broken. The animal sits on a low base. Its wings and tucked-under legs are reminiscent of the hybrid "horse-rooster" (hippalektryon) that also occurs among such faience flasks.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/01/2022 - 05/01/2026

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu