Egyptian Footed Bowl Reproduction Returns to The Met Store
By STAN PARCHIN
September 12, 2009
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| Bowl with Human Feet. Egyptian, Predynastic period, Naqada I–early Naqada II, ca. 3900–3650 B.C. Polished red pottery. H. 9.8 cm (3.9 in.); Diam. 13.5 cm (5.3 in.). Provenance unknown. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
Returning in Fall 2009 to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's remarkable retinue of reproductions is the terracotta Egyptian Footed Bowl. It retails for $25.00 ($22.50 to members). The actual artifact was last featured in the popular exhibition The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt (September 13, 2005-May 7, 2006). It's a perennial favorite of both educators and executives, found in classrooms and offices worldwide.
Bowl with Human Feet
Before Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were united (ca. 3100 B.C.), the ancient Egyptians were concerned with medicine, evidenced by The Met's famous Bowl with Human Feet (ca. 3900-3650 B.C.). Made from red Nilotic clay, this round polished basin, supported by two attached feet, is tilted slightly forward as if to offer its contents. Probably created for ritual libations, such as purified water from the Nile River (the source of annual regeneration for Egypt's crops), it was recently interpreted as a three-dimensional rebus or representation of the two-dimensional hieroglyph for clean.
In the early 20th Century, Egyptologists believed the Bowl with Human Feet signified the hieroglyph for to bring. This outdated explanation suggests that such objects were used to hold offerings brought customarily to the tombs of the deceased.
Source
Allen, James P., et al. The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt (exh. cat.). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005, 16-17.