Saturday, February 25, 2023

The Helpful Bowl

      The ancient Egyptians made them and nobody's sure just why.  They look like the hieroglyphic symbol for "to offer," but what these little bowls that stand on two human feet and tip slightly forward were offering and to whom is a mystery.  Free mints?  Offerings for revered ancestors?  For the gods?  Were they tip jars?  Nobody knows.

      At one time, you could buy modern copies of them.  I didn't, and now there don't seem to be any for sale.  But I'd own one if I could.  Someone needs to make a version that walks over to the nearest person and curtsies; these days, it wouldn't be that difficult, though making sure it doesn't walk off tabletops might take some extra work.

2 comments:

2774070 said...

Hello. Thanks for the years of insightful commentary, well directed skewerings, cynical observations, and entertainment.

I found two sources for foot bowls which seem similar to the one captioned - etsy and amazon.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1059861858/foot-bowl?gpla=1&gao=1& purportedly shipping from Egypt

https://www.amazon.com/Parastone-Egyptian-Offering-Figurine-Sculpture/dp/B07CQBSR7M

Best regards

Roberta X said...

Thank you! I have added one to my wish list. How wonderful!