Vase in the Form of a Female Head

Shaped like the head of a woman, this vessel was used to hold precious oil. The mouth and the handle of the vase are now missing; only the leaf-shaped attachment plate of the handle remains on the back of the head. The woman's fine, slightly wavy hair is pulled back and covered by a complex headdress. A diadem or band encircles her forehead and over that she wears a turban-like headcloth, which wraps around the back of the head and is knotted at the front. The vase is made from bronze, but additional metals were originally added to enliven the head's appearance. The shallowly recessed eyes were inlaid, probably with silver. A row of silver beading borders the band over her forehead and the zigzags in the band were originally inlaid with a contrasting material, either silver or copper, as were the striped ends of the knotted headcloth. Earrings, perhaps gold, would have hung from the woman's pierced ears.