Cypriot Bowl with Scenes of Daily Life in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Bowl with Scenes of Daily Life
Unknown
Cypriot, Cyprus, 2000 - 1900 B.C.
Terracotta
16 3/4 in.
2001.78

This large bowl documents some of the activities of the Bronze Age society that produced it. On one side, eight figures are involved in various breadmaking tasks. Three appear to be kneading dough, while one grinds grain with a mortar and pestle, and another stands in front of an oven. On the other side of the bowl, four men are accompanied by a deer and another animal, perhaps a fawn or dog. Interspersed between these figures are unidentifiable objects; scholars think these may be associated with refining copper ore, an important industry in Cyprus.

What inspired the meticulous decoration on this bowl? Because it was made so long ago, it is unlikely historians will ever know the answer to this question. One theory suggests that the small breadmakers were perhaps intended to be of service in the afterlife, preparing food for the deceased, while the men could be supplying highly valued metal goods. Although images of everyday life are rare in Cypriot art, scenes of breadmaking appear on similar ceramic objects found in tombs. This implies that the bowl may have been used for ceremonial purposes, perhaps during funerary rites.

Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=144482