Iron Age Terracotta Juglet

Created during the era of the Kings David and Solomon, this simple yet charming vessel exudes an energy of the ages, glowing from within its surface, richly patinated by the fingerprints of history. Such a vessel would have been a necessity in the ancient world to contain and transport precious oils and unguents. Our imagination is stimulated as we try to picture whose hands might have held this vessel almost three millennia ago. It is plausible that such a jug was used by Samuel to symbolically anoint Saul as the King of Israel. Whatever the secrets of its past, we are aware that it was crafted by ancient hands, held and used by people who lived in a time of religious and political revolution. Although its original contents have long disappeared, the energy of those vanished lives is still contained within this vessel. This jug was once a vital, indispensable part of everyday life in the ancient world. Today, it is even more valuable to our modern lives, not as a container, but as a symbol of the past. This jug holds history inside, it reminds us of the lives, the joys and struggles, the triumphs and defeats, of those who came before us. – (SF.150)