New Year flask

New Year flask

Ancient Egyptian, Late Period, 664 - 525 BC
Faience

In celebration of the New Year, our Object of the Month is this Ancient Egyptian flask inscribed ‘May the God Ptah open a good year.’ It returned to the castle last summer, having been on loan to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in the US for several years. Along with other objects that will be featured in new displays in the Egyptian Room this year, this flask was part of the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s ‘Hall of Ancient Egypt’ displays.

The flask is a beautifully decorated example of what is known as a ‘New Year flask’. It is made from faience, a material that was commonly used in Ancient Egypt to create vessels, amulets, statutes, and jewellery. Faience was made from a paste which included silica (sand or quartz), plant ash, and colourants. It could be pressed into a mould, carved, and fired which would produce a glassy coloured glaze on the surface. The colour would be different depending on the materials included – the most common colour was turquoise which was created by adding copper. The glassy glaze on this flask has mostly worn off, but the turquoise colour can still be seen in the incised patterns and hieroglyphs.

Shabti figure, faience, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, c. 1292 – 1185 BC, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.0286

The Ancient Egyptian New Year was celebrated in the summer, around June and September, rather than in January. These months formed the first season of the year, called Akhet, when heavy rains would bring the flooding of the Nile. In October, the flooding would begin to subside, leaving behind fresh soil for the planting of crops. The annual flooding of the Nile was a cause for celebration, but also potential disaster. If the flood was too low, drought could follow, and if it was too high, buildings and equipment needed for planting seeds could be destroyed. It is not known what New Year flasks originally contained, but one theory is that they held some Nile water to wish for a good flooding season. They were also included in burials as they were associated with new life and new beginnings. There is a copy of a tomb painting in the Metropolitan Museum which depicts a scene from the New Year festival. A group of priests are walking in procession, carrying vases which may have been used to gather Nile water.

Procession from the Temple of Amun, Charles K. Wilkinson, tempera on paper, 20th century, copy of original from New Kingdom, c. 1279 – 1213 BC, from the Tomb of Panehsy in Thebes, Metropolitan Museum, object number 30.4.6

The inscription on our January Object of the Month is written in a column of hieroglyphs down the centre of one side of the flask. There is a cross-hatch pattern either side of the inscription and bands of decoration around the sides of the flask. The neck of the flask has two tiny handles either side. There is a collar design incised around the neck of the flask, which was a common feature for this type of vessel. The design was based on broad collars made from flowers, plants, and beads worn by festival participants.

Side view of the New Year flask, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.0049

Broad Collar, faience, c. 1336 – 1295 B.C., Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 40.522. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

New Year flasks were common during the Late Period in Ancient Egypt. Their inscriptions often mentioned a different god depending on the location where the flask was made. Ptah was an important god of Memphis (South of modern-day Cairo), so it is likely that this New Year flask was made in Memphis. Ptah was a powerful god of creation and craftsmen, making him an appropriate choice for mention on this New Year flask. He was also one of the oldest gods, worshipped since the Old Kingdom around 2686 - 2181 BC when the first pyramids were built.

Ptah (second from the right), Ramses III (right), and other gods of Memphis, Wikimedia commons

We look forward to re-opening in March this year, when the New Year flask will be on display in the Egyptian Room.

This object is just one of the many objects that form part of Denys Eyre Bower’s five impressive collections which include Ancient Egyptian, Japanese, Buddhist, Stuart and Jacobite, and Books. For more information on these objects, review our Object of the Month series, visit the Historic House and Collections or contact our Curator, Naomi Collick by email or by calling 01892 870347.