Double Kandila of the Grotta-Pelos Group

Before about 2700 B.C., the most prevalent Cycladic marble vessel was the kandila, a globular storage jar with a collared neck and a tall, cylindrical foot. The vessel type takes its name from its resemblance to modern Greek church lamps. This example, a double kandila, is extremely rare. The broken area on this vase shows how the two small vases were each made separately and then joined with a clay bridge. As the potter's wheel was not yet in use in this period, this terracotta vessel was shaped by hand from coils or slabs of clay and fired in a kiln. The jar was burnished before firing, giving it a shiny compacted surface and making it less porous so that it could hold liquids such as oil or wine. Serving a variety of practical daily functions, many of these utilitarian vases also accompanied the deceased in graves.

The pottery and other material culture in the Cyclades have been systematically organized into a series of cultures or groups, each named after a specific island or site. The shape and decoration of this vessel are typical features of the earliest stage of the Cycladic period, known as the Grotta-Pelos culture (3000-2800 B.C.), named after the Early Cycladic sites of Grotta (on the island of Naxos) and Pelos (on Milos). Cycladic potters at this time often engraved terracotta vases with dense linear designs, filling the incisions with a chalky white substance that stood out against the darker surface. The herringbone pattern covering much of the exterior of this vessel was a typical motif for the period, perhaps imitating the woven texture of basketry.