Egyptian Faience New Year Flask w/ Thoth Baboon – Late Dynastic 664–332 BCE

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Egyptian Faience New Year Flask w/ Thoth Baboon – Late Dynastic 664–332 BCE:
$1100.00

Offered here is an ancient Egyptian faience “New Year” flask from the Late Dynastic Period, circa 664–332 BCE.

This finely molded vessel displays a lentoid body with a flared spout, twin arched handles, and small feet. The surface is covered in a soft powder-blue glaze and decorated in relief with rosettes and a depiction ofThothin his baboon form.

Thoth, the god of writing, knowledge, and measurement, was closely associated with wisdom and the recording of divine judgment. His representation as a baboon connects him to lunar cycles and cosmic order, making his presence on ritual vessels especially meaningful.

“New Year flasks” are thought to have contained sacred liquids used in ceremonies marking the Egyptian New Year, a time of renewal linked to the Nile’s annual inundation.

A wonderful example combining religious symbolism and refined faience craftsmanship.

Dimensions

Height: 2.5 in (6.4 cm)
Width: 1.7 in (4.3 cm)

Condition

Missing one handle. Otherwise intact with nicks, pitting, and abrasions consistent with age. Good glaze remains and clear relief decoration. Encrustations throughout.

Provenance

ex-London gallery; ex-Belgian collection (acquired 2006); ex-French collection, since the 1960s.