Bronze Age Irish Bowl Food Vessel, Glebe Cairn

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Details

We based this replica of a Bronze Age Irish bowl food vessel on a stunning vessel unearthed in 1864 by Canon Greenwell within the Glebe cairn at Kilmartin.  It was not the only precious object to be unearthed at this time, as it was found alongside a jet necklace that was sadly lost during a house fire.

Nestled within the sumptuous green hills of Kilmartin is a magnificent linear cemetery consisting of five cairns stretching over a mile along the verdant valley floor.  The Glebe cairn is the most northerly of the five ancient monuments that make up this cemetery and is dated between 2000 and 1500 BCE.

Glebe Cairn is visible today as an impressive mound of stones that marks this important resting place.  It was beneath this cairn that Greenwell found two rings of stones and two burial cists; in one of these cists, he found this intricately decorated food vessel and a jet necklace.  Although the necklace was sadly lost, we are lucky to still have access to this stunning artwork as the British Museum owns it, and you can visit it at Kilmartin House or enjoy it in your home with this authentically handcrafted replica.

Materials

Smoke fired Terracotta

Dimensions

Approx. 135 mm tall 250 mm diameter

Production

As with all our Museum Quality Replicas, this pot has been made, as the original would have been, entirely by hand from natural clay and using replicas of the types of tools that the Bronze Age makers would have used.  In keeping with the original pot, the decoration has been applied using bone and antler tools.  Each replica is individually handcrafted and then wood-fired, resulting in variations.  Therefore, there might be slight differences between the replica pictured and the one you receive, as you may not get the vessel photographed.   However, we represent variations within our images, so please ensure you look at all the images. 

Firing

It has been fired to emulate the ancient firing conditions.  The original pot would have been fired in an open wood fire, in close contact with the fuel, a process that leaves its mark on the clay as variations in the surface colour.  However, the very low temperatures achieved in open firings also result in relatively weak pots, so this pot has been fired to a somewhat higher temperature to strengthen it, in a special firing process that allows me to achieve an authentic appearance to the pot.  The exterior has been finished with beeswax to give a slight sheen.

 Health & Safety

This is a Museum Quality Replica and is not intended for use as a drinking vessel, if you require replica pots for actual use with food of beverages, please ask before purchasing.

Postage
All items are sent using a second-class postal service; if you wish to have an item sent first-class, please contact me for a quote.  Many Thanks