Pilgrim flasks, with their narrow necks, lentoid body, and two handles for suspension, were an innovation in New Kingdom Egypt. Originally imported from the Levant, these vessels were soon adopted enthusiastically by Egyptian potters and craftsmen, and a great number remain from this period. This attractive example is made of calcite, a hard calcium-carbonate mineral, which must have been incredibly difficult to work. Tool marks are still vaguely discernible on the outside of the flask, which is beautifully proportioned and elegantly caved. This is a rare example; Pilgrim Flasks are almost always made of pottery.

It is unclear what the flasks were used for. A popular explanation has been that they were used for perfumes or precious oils. This is likely, given that the Egyptians were avid consumers of perfume; in a hot and arid climate, elite Egyptians liked to mask the aroma of daily life. Given the small size of the flasks, it is probable that they contained something expensive. Others have taken the common occurrence of Pilgrim Flasks with wine containers to suggest that they may have contained spices or liquor to mix with food or drink. This example contains some kind of residue, which may give clues as to what it once contained.

It is possible that this flask comes from the city of Tell El-Amarna, the famed and ill-fated capital of the heretic king Akhenaton. Certainly the style and size place this vessel somewhere in the 18th Dynasty, and an Amarnan date seems plausible. If so, this would be an exciting connection to one of the most extraordinary periods of Egyptian history. But even on its own merits, this is a remarkable example of the ancient stone worker’s art.