An early Egyptian Alabaster Cosmetic Vessel, early Dynastic Period, Dynasty 1st - 3rd, ca. 3100 - 2613 BCE

This elegant jar of creamy alabaster has smooth convex sides that swell upward from a small, footed base into a high shoulder leading to a wide, angled rim. As is common with this type of vessel, the interior does not conform to the shape of the body, but the interior still holds traces of original contents.

For a related example see: Sir W.M.Flinders Petrie, The Funeral Furniture OF Egypt Stone and Metal Vases, Stone Vases 62-90: Dynasties I-III, pl. IV 132-134. 

Medium: Alabaster

Dimensions: Height: 1 1/8 inches (2.7 cm)

Condition: Expected minor chip to base that does not detract, otherwise the vessel is intact and in very good condition overall.

Provenance: Property from the Estate of Joan Conway Crancer, St. Louis, Missouri acquired from Galerie du Sycomore, Paris, 8 November 1990. Born into an artist’s world, Joan Conway Crancer spent her entire life surrounded by art and artists. The only daughter of legendary St. Louis painter, Fred Conway, Joan grew up watching him work and came to appreciate art in all its forms, as well as the people who create it. Her early experience fostered her love of collecting and over the years, the collection she built with her husband and their commitment to the arts grew. The Crancers became actively involved with the Saint Louis Art Museum, where Joan served for many years as a Museum Trustee and a member of its Acquisitions Committee. Always generous to the Museum, the couple were members of its Beaux Arts Council and were the honorees for the Council’s 1999 Awards Dinner. They also endowed a gallery in the Museum, which is named for Alice and Fred Conway, Joan’s parents. Joan remained an Honorary Trustee of the Museum throughout her life.