Alabaster flask
Unknown Artist
ca. 1600–1050 BCE
Medium
Calcite (alabaster)
Dimensions
H. 7 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. (20 x 9.8 cm)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Stone Vases
Culture & Period
Cypriot · Late Bronze Age
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
Accession Number
74.51.5115
Art Historical Context
This elegant alabaster flask hails from Late Bronze Age Cyprus, dating to around 1600–1050 BCE, a vibrant period when the island thrived as a hub for Mediterranean trade in copper, pottery, and luxury goods. Crafted by an unknown Cypriot artisan, the vessel stands just under 8 inches tall, its slender form ideal for storing precious oils, perfumes, or unguents—essentials in ancient rituals and daily life. Such stone vases were prized possessions, often buried with the elite to accompany them into the afterlife. Carved from translucent calcite, known as alabaster, the flask showcases the mater...