Minoan Knossos Palace pottery cup, excavated by Sir Arthur Evans
G39£3,850.00
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A tall straight-sided pottery cup with a flared rim and a single handle, the surface covered in a pale red slip.
The label under the base of this simple yet elegant cup reveals that it was found at the Royal Palace at Knossos in Crete and the hand-writing on the label matches that of Sir Arthur Evans who famously excavated the site between 1900-1931.
The majority of Evans’ finds were distributed to Greek museums; the partage of finds which the archaeologist was allowed to keep were mostly donated to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford where Evans served as Keeper between 1884-1908.
A similar cup from Palaikastro was donated by the British School at Athens to the Ashmolean during Evans’ keepership in 1907 (see link below) and therefore he may have felt the present cup was surplus to the museum’s requirements.
Evans donated a near-identical cup to the British Museum in 1906 (see link below) and this is also recorded as having been found at the Royal Palace at Knossos, it was almost certainly made by the same potter.
Culture
Crete, Knossos, Royal Palace, Middle Minoan IIB-IIIA, c. 1800-1650 BC. Excavated by Sir Arthur Evans.
Size
9.7 x 12 cms including handle
Condition
Intact with light accretions, some mild surface wear to the slip on one side of the lower body
Provenance
Ex. collection: Sir Arthur Evans FRS FBA FREng (1851-1951); Ex. collection: Frederick William Robins FSA FRGS, Oxford, UK (deceased c. 1962); thence by family inheritance to present. Label under the base written in Sir Arthur Evans’ hand: “Palace Knossos about 2000 B.C.” with the reference number “P17” added in a different hand.
FW Robins collected antiquities in the first half of the 20th Century and published several books including The Story of the Lamp (Oxford University Press, 1939) documenting the development of the oil lamp using over 800 items from his own collection.
Robins was very active in the academic and museum life of Oxford during the 1930’s, mixing with legendary archaeologists such as Sir Arthur Evans and Henry Balfour, and received acknowledgment from the Pitt-Rivers Museum in their annual report 1940-1941 for his voluntary work. The British Museum and the Pitt-Rivers Museum both hold antiquities from the FW Robins bequest, some of which were published by DM Bailey in 1963.
The British Museum cup from Knossos, donated by Sir Arthur Evans:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1906-1112-57
The similar cup in the Ashmolean Museum:
https://www.ashmolean.org/collections-online#/item/ash-object-478988
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Thank you Rolf for another stunning item. I am a repeat customer. Helios Gallery is one of the most outstanding dealership enterprises online. Rolf always provides excellent service and is an expert in his field. Response from Helios Gallery Thank you, Brian, the mask is amazing, so glad you like it, Sam & Rolf 🙂
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I have just purchased my ninth item from Helios and will continue to make this company my first choice when I want to buy an antiquity. I always feel confident that whatever I decide to buy is authentic and fairly priced, and the service provided to customers is excellent. Thank you Rolf and Sam
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