Marble dove vase
Marble dove vase
Large marble utensils, such as the "dove vase", are very rare in Cycladic art. This particular vase, on exhibit at the Museum, is shaped like a large round pan with a diameter of 39 cm and low walls 5.1 cm high. The artist removed pieces of marble to craft a round pan. Inside, along the diameter, the artist did not remove the marble but carved a row of small doves, like the one you can touch in a copy at the Museum. Only a few of these doves have survived almost intact. A similar marble dove is exhibited in the same display case, which is 4 cm tall and 5.3 cm tall. In the dove replica, its head and tail stand out. Doves, a popular subject in the ancient Cyclades, seem to have had something to do with their religion. But what the "dove vase" was used for is not known. Perhaps in this vessel they placed offerings, such as wheat or barley, to their gods.
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