Nippled clay Ewer – Aspects of Beauty

From the settlement of Akrotiri at the island of Thera (Santorini). Late Cycladic Ι, around 17th c. BC.
(ΕΑΜ/ΝAM ΑΚΡ. 877)

Vessel of symbolic or ritual importance, combining avian and anthropomorphic traits. At the rim an “eye” is framed and at the bottom of the neck two parallel circles of dots, depicting a necklace. The nipples–breasts are covered with solid paint and circled by dots. It’s an extraordinary sample of pottery, manufactured at Thera at the time of the volcanic eruption, which manages to render in a simple and abstract way the female figure.