Bowl

Simple open bowls like this one were the most popular form of marble vessel in the Cyclades in the period from 2700 to 2200 B.C. The bowls were made in a wide range of sizes and often have a thickened rim—a characteristic of Cycladic pottery at the time. This example has a rounded rim with a slight inner lip and a broad, flat base. Aside from plain bowls, sculptors created many variations on the shape with different combinations of lugs and spouts. This type, with one solid horizontal lug, was fairly common. Serving a variety of practical daily functions, many of these vases also accompanied the deceased in graves.The production of stone vases was an important and characteristic industry of the Cyclades, and it was only on those islands that white marble was used as a primary material for such vessels. Marble vases like this one were laboriously carved with blades of obsidian, a volcanic glass, and abrasives such as sand, emery, and pumice. The sculptors who carved the Cycladic marble figures—perhaps the most distinctive product of the Cycladic culture—probably also made the stone vases.