This
is a rare fragmentary double vase of two semi-circular joined bowls. The bowls
are siamese and share a common thin-walled rim in the middle. In profile, the
piece has the appearance of a single bowl with a wedge-shaped vertical crease
on each long side. It would have been originally mounted on a bell-shaped
pedestal of which only a trace remains today. From the remaining bit, it is
clear the stem was rather narrow. Although no colour is preserved on this work,
one may surmise its function was the same as that of the twin cups: a painter’s
palette. The shape and design are believed to come from the Keros-Syros culture
(ca. 2700—2200 BC). There is some restoration and mending of breaks to the left
bowl.