A Canaanite Basket Handle Spouted Jug, Early Bronze Age I, 3500 B.C.E. - 3000 B.C.E.
H. 21.5 cm
KB_PT_9993
Further images
Provenance
Found in Jericho.The Private Collection of the Baidun Family
Mahmoud Baidun (1920-1980) founded what would become Khader M Badiun and Sons Galleries in Jerusalem, Isreal. As a young boy, Mahmoud would accompany archeologists, biblical scholars, and visiting delegations on excavation sites all over Jerusalem and other sites within the country. Earning the trust of scholars and archeologists alike, Mahmoud became an indispensable presence and guide to other visiting scholars. When Mr. Baidun entered the antiquities trade, he would be granted trade license under the British Mandate and from the Hashemite Kingdom. When Israel authorized the trade of antiquities, Mahmoud was issued one of the first antiquities licenses issued in the country. He would later forge close relationships with other merchants; slowly building a massive private collection that would go on to sell to political leaders, international museums, and private collectors globally.
This round Canaanite jug is covered in a series of frenzied red lines that seem to buzz through time, the intersecting spaces broken up by a clearing of just three vertical marks at four spots along the jug’s body. The jug’s basket handle arches above the mouth’s large opening, while a short spout arises from the front, flaring slightly for an easy pour.
The little we know of ancient Canaan comes from the rich archeological record they left behind. This piece is an excellent example of the simple rites of ancient history, when the storage and transportation of water meant the difference between life and death in the arid realm of Canaan.