Several elaborately carved vases such as this were
found in the Antechamber, but still others were
discovered in the Annex. It was
Carter's suggestion
that the Annex may have been the original
provenience for most of them, but that several were
moved in the thieves' attempts to steal their
contents.
This highly decorative piece was made
from two blocks of calcite. The base depicts an
anthropomorphized ankh on either side of the
jar stand; it grasps the hieroglyph, was
("dominion"), in each hand. The vase itself is part
of an overall design signifying the "unification of
Upper and Lower Egypt", taking the place of the
hieroglyph sema ("Unification"). The plants,
symbolic of Upper (lotus) and Lower (papyrus) Egypt,
are on the left and right, respectively. They are
tied about the neck of the vase. Completing the
outer edge of the openwork handle is the notched
palm branch signifying the Egyptian word for 'year',
renpet. Below each is the hieroglyphic sign
for one hundred thousand, the tadpole. The motif,
therefore, represents "uncountable years". The
king's cartouches written below the epithets, "Son
of Ra, the Lord of the Two Lands", are placed within
a rectangular outline, below which extends a carved
band of stylized vegetation. A garland is at the
base of the neck, while the head of the goddess
Hathor (with the ears of a cow) is carved just below
the rim of the vessel. Not visible here are two
breasts in raised relief under the garland.
While it is clear that the artist wished to
create a balanced composition, one side is not a
mirror image of the other. Different plants are used
on each side. In addition, the papyrus blossom
(right) turning in toward the neck is attached to
it, while the
lotus blossom (left) remains free from
the neck. It is highly unlikely that this
inconsistency was an error, considering the high
level of artistic competency exhibited in the design
and execution of the vase.