292
Balsamarium
Asia Minor; Hellenism; 3rd-2nd c. BC;

Vessels shaped like animal skins or stuffed animal skins were a favourite theme of the Eurasian nomad people, and later spread to the great Classical cultures, either as imports or as imported art forms. Certain items appear over a long period of time which confirms their lasting popularity.

Similar examples in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Norbert Schimmel Collection allow us to date this balsamarium to the Hellenistic period.