Classic Kerma Beaker

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The bell-shaped Kerma beaker is a hallmark of the Classical Kerma civilization. Found stacked together in tombs in groups of as many as seven, the Kerma beaker is the most common form of classic Kerma ware. The outgrowth of a long Nilotic tradition of black-topped red polished ware, these delicate, thin-walled vessels mark a zenith in ceramic technology. Their production required a highly controlled kiln temperature and atmosphere. Formed by hand, each pot was covered with red ocher and polished before firing. To achieve the black top and interior, the vessels were inverted in a combustible material to create a reducing atmosphere during firing. The irregular opalescent band between the black and red surfaces seems to be a glazelike material that was painted on before firing. These graceful, finely modeled cups, with their highly polished surface and opalescent ring, are among the greatest works of ceramic art. This beaker was found in a grave at the Egyptian site of Abydos. Classic Kerma ware has been found in a number of tombs in Egypt dating from the late Middle Kingdom to the early New Kingdom (ca. 1785–1500 B.C.). These tombs generally contain both Kerma ceramics and Egyptian goods. Although it is not certain that the owners of these tombs were Nubians, it is quite possible that they represented traders, originally from Kerma, who had taken up residence in Egypt.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art