Alabastron (Perfume Vase)

1973.1.223

Information

Long thin flask with narrow neck and rounded base, used in antiquity for holding oil, especially perfume or massage oils. Auction sticker 1012/3. Base marked in black with MacGregor's colleciton no. 3844 and label stuck to the surface with red printed number 3844. CONDITION NOTE (1998): Rim chipped, worn, label adhered to surface, surface dirt. Compare shape with W. M. F. Petrie, 'Stone and Metal Vases' (London, 1937) no. 968. Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 26 June - 6 July 1922 (MacGregor Collection) Lot 1012/3: "An Alabastron, in arragoinite, 9 3/4 in. high, with unpierced ear handles, rounded at the base; another, with think high ridge about two-thirds up the neck, 9 1/8 in. high; another, of simpler form, 5 1/2 in. high; the first two of almost eggshell thinness".