Description
rare group of finely carved alabaster cosmetic plates, each fashioned from a single piece of pale cream-colored calcite alabaster. The shallow circular depressions, carefully hollowed and polished, were designed to hold precious oils, perfumed unguents, cosmetics, or ritual offerings. Their restrained form emphasizes the natural beauty of the translucent stone, whose delicate banding and warm honey-colored tones become especially striking when illuminated.
Alabaster vessels of this quality were luxury objects in Bronze Age Canaan, highly prized by the region’s elite. Many were produced locally from Egyptian calcite alabaster or imported from Egypt, reflecting the close cultural and commercial ties that existed between Canaan and the Nile Valley throughout the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Such plates have been recovered from palatial residences, temples, and high-status burials, where they served both practical and ceremonial functions.
