Provenance Information

[Reportedly before 1951, with Dikran Kelekian, New York]; from the 1970s, private collection, USA; [by 1987, with Acanthus Gallery, Frederick Schultz, New York]; [by 2013, with Rupert Wace, London]; 2013, purchased by Thomas Colville from Rupert Wace; from 2013, collection of Thomas Colville, New York; given by Thomas Colville to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016.

Exhibition Information

On display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2013.

Publication Information

Egyptian Art. The Essential Object. May 28 to June 25, 1987, Acanthus Gallery New York, no. 26. Rupert Wace Ancient Art, London, cat. 13, 2013, no. 25.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This work has provenance confirmed to 1987 when it was published by the Acanthus Gallery New York. It is reportedly from the Collection of collector Dikran Kelekian by 1951, but the Museum has not yet been able to substantiate that provenance. This bowl is a fine example of Egyptian faience ware and is representative of the luxury goods market during the Ptolemaic period that flourished in major urban centers like Alexandria. Both the type and excellent state of preservation are rare. The Museum has only one other bowl of this type. This object is preserved intact, and it will be the only example in the characteristic deep blue color.