1975.53: Oil flask (aryballos) in the form of a hedgehog

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1975.53

Title

Oil flask (aryballos) in the form of a hedgehog

Classification

Vessels

Work Type

vessel

Date

6th century BCE

Places

Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Ionia

Period

Archaic period

Culture

Greek

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/288567

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

5.4 cm h x 4.3 cm w x 6.1 cm l (2 1/8 x 1 11/16 x 2 3/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Richard Sommer, Montreal, Canada, (by 1969), sold; to [Petit Musée, Dealers in Antiquities, Montreal, Canada (1969-1975)], sold; to the Fogg Museum.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, David M. Robinson Fund

Accession Year

1975

Object Number

1975.53

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Commentary

Re-View Exhibition, Spring 2008, gallery label information:

This aryballos, a container for scented oils, depicts a species of hedgehog native to Egypt, where the animal's ability to curl up defensively made it a popular apotropaic symbol. Along with the shape, Greek artisans borrowed the material from Egyptian sources: faience is a quartz-based, self-glazing ceramic.

Exhibition History

• Re-View: S422 Ancient & Byzantine Art & Numismatics, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/12/2008 - 06/18/2011
• 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/01/2022 - 05/01/2026

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