Sassanian Aramaic or Mandaean magical incantation bowl

E49

£300.00

Sold

A pottery bowl inscribed on the inside surface with the remains of a black ink inscription written over several lines spiraling towards the centre. Bowls such as this were inscribed with magical incantations to invoke favours or good fortune upon the owner or to trap evil spirits. They were often buried upside-down in cemetries or building foundations and came to be known as “devil trap bowls” among early excavators.

Culture
Mesopotamia, Sassanian, Aramaic or Mandaean, c. 6th to 7th Century AD

Size
6.2 x 16.2 cms

Condition
Repaired from large fragments, surface worn and partially covered in accretions

Provenance
Ex. private collection, Cheshire, UK; inherited by the former owner from his paternal great-uncle who acquired the bowl during or shortly after World War II (1940’s or 1950’s).

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