3-047-565 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Shell, 400-325 BC. Vessel in the Form of a Seashell. Additional Info: Carved from a single block of marble, this vessel takes the shape of a type of shell found in the Mediterranean Sea known as Pelican’s Foot (Aporrhais pespelecani). This marble shell has been hollowed out to serve as a libation vessel. The pouring of libations, or liquid offerings to the gods, was an essential part of Greek religion. The sculptor drilled through the body of the vessel in order to form a trough-like opening at one end and another smaller opening on the side just below the base of the spines. A worshipper would have poured or dipped liquid into the large opening at the end of the shell, from which it would trickle out over the fan and spiky lip of the shell. Only a few other shell-shaped marble vessels have survived from antiquity.