Circular “pilgrim” flask

Photogallery

Circular “pilgrim” flask
Circular “pilgrim” flask
Room I. Proto-history in Etruria and Latium

The body, which has a spout and a moveable handle with extremities in the form of a stylised bird’s head, is decorated with geometric embossing and various motifs: studs, ribbed studs, isolated horses and double zig-zags. This type of vessel, of Levantine origin, spread mainly throughout central and southern Etruria between the late Villanovan and ancient Orientalising period. The decorative elements would indicate that the flask originated from the workshops of Veio and Vulci. The characteristic abstract studded decoration, of central-European tradition, blends here with a stylised figurative repertoire with a geometric flavour, such as the horse, along with motifs already widespread in proto-history, such as the solar symbol (studs with concentric ribbing) and the solar boat (pair of bird-shaped extremities on the handle).
Ever since its discovery, it has been noted that a resinous and fragrant substance is present inside the flask. Analyses have shown this to be a resin of vegetable origin (pine pitch).