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Black-Topped Beaker — Anonymous, Naqada I–IIb (3900–3300 BCE)

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Written by: Nikolai RomanoContributing Writer · Furniture & Decorative Arts
Antiquities · Catalogue no. 21887
Anonymous, Naqada I–IIb (3900–3300 BCE)

Black-Topped Beaker

StatusReference work · Not for sale
Held byCleveland Museum of Art
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Red polished vessels with black rims (known as black-topped red ware or B-ware) were the most common funerary pottery during the early Predynastic Period. The characteristic blackening of the rim was probably achieved by burying the mouth of the pot in the ashes of the kiln. The iron in the exposed part would then fire red while the covered area turned black.

Artist / MakerAnonymous, Naqada I–IIb (3900–3300 BCE)
Datec. 4000–3500 BCE
Culture / OriginEgypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada I–IIb (3900–3300 BCE)
MediumNile silt pottery
DimensionsDiameter: 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.); Overall: 29.1 cm (11 7/16 in.)
DepartmentEgyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
TypeVessels
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Provenance & Source

Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.

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