Blossom bowl

Minoan stone vessel, conventionally termed "blossom bowl" because of the characteristic relief decoration of flower buds with central ribs around the conical body. The vessel is made of serpentine and dates to the Late Minoan I period (1550-1500 BC). Stone-carving developed in Crete as early as the 3rd millennium BC. Initially, stone vases were used almost exclusively as grave goods, but after 2000 BC, when the first Minoan palaces were built, their use extended to settlements and places of worship. Egypt seems to have been the main source of inspiration for Minoan lapidaries, since Egyptian stone vases of all periods, from Pre-dynastic times onwards, have been found at various sites on Crete. The relations between Crete and Egypt were particularly intense during the early years of the Egyptian New Kingdom (16th-15th c. BC).The vessel belongs to one of the most popular types of this period. Blossom bowls, sometimes found with their disc-shaped lids, are considered to have contained perfumed oils. The shape refers to known Egyptian models. In addition, the habit of using aromatic oils is probably linked with the refinement and extravagance evident in Minoan society of this period, which may have been partly the result of extensive contacts with the advanced Egyptian culture.