Minoan “teapot”

This elegant clay vase with the long spout is decorated in the so-called “Kamares style”. The style (which owes its name to the Cretan cave, where vases of this style were first discovered) is characterized by the use of polychrome decoration on dark background, and reflects the elegance and skill of Minoan artists. The vase-painters covered the surface of the vases with complex geometric motifs, or (rarely) with vegetal or animal forms. The best examples come from the major palace centers of Knossos and Phaistos. The illustrated vase is decorated with white bands and dots, as well as with plastic knobs.

The name “teapot” has no relation with the actual use of the vase (tea was unknown to the Minoans). Such conventional names are sometimes used by archaeologists to describe the shape of a vessel. In Minoan archaeology, many such names were coined by the British excavator of Knossos, Arthur Evans.