Quadrangular vase in the shape of a Neolithic cong

A dark copper-alloy vase with a square cross-section, its four faces divided into stacked horizontal bands of raised geometric motifs. A flared rim crowns the neck, and a plain foot anchors the base. The surface shows a warm brown patina with incised decoration along the central ridges.

Look closer: Fine incised patterns run along the central ridges of each face, visible only up close.

Artist

Unknown

Date

13th century

Medium

Copper alloy

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3000 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1993