It is interesting to note that the
ancient Egyptians
were crafting stone vessels long before
they were
creating statues in stone. This
observation is
reinforced by the fact that the ancient
Egyptian
hieroglyphic word for “stone sculptor”
employs
the tool used by these early craftsmen
for the
fashioning of stone vessels as its
ideogram.
Such vessels are usually found in tombs,
but
their purpose is to assure the
permanence of the
ka, or spirit, of the deceased eternally
in the
Hereafter because such permanence is
linked to
stone, one of the most enduring of
materials
used by the ancient Egyptians. It is for
this
reason that pyramid chambers of pharaohs
of the
period contain so many examples of stone
vessels. The excavations of the Step
Pyramid of
Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara yielded almost
40,000
stone objects, most of which were
vessels.
In addition to insuring permanence, such
vessels
held precious unguents and ointments for
which
the ancient Egyptians were famous. Many
of
these cosmetics resonate with
contemporary
concerns addressed by aromatherapy. As
such
vessels of this type continually
commemorate the
ancient Egyptian achievements in all
fields of
human endeavor.
Beautifully carved and with elegant
lines, this
granite vase must have held rare
ointments or
oils in the tomb of some ancient person
of
prominence. Since the earliest
predynastic times,
the nobility of Egypt had favored
vessels carved
from stone. The simplicity of this piece
gives it a
timeless appeal. We delight in its pure
form, as
its original owner no doubt did many
millennia
ago.
