Cypriot Bichrome Ware Juglet (Bilbil)

Late Cypriot II, c. 1450–1200 BC, Republic of Cyprus

An exquisite Cypriot bichrome ware juglet, known as a bilbil, finely preserved from the Late Bronze Age. This miniature vessel features a globular body rising to a slender neck with a pronounced ridge and a flaring trumpet-shaped mouth. A single strap handle curves elegantly from the shoulder to the neck, while the piece rests on a small ring foot.

Painted decoration enhances its form, with dark red bands encircling the neck and lip, a broad central red band at the body’s widest point, bordered above and below by thin black lines. The handle is richly painted in dark pigment, creating a striking contrast against the vessel’s buff clay surface.

The distinctive shape of bilbils is thought to echo the form of the poppy seedpod, suggesting these vessels may once have contained opium—a valuable commodity used both medicinally and ritually throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

Bichrome ware, characterized by its bold use of red and black pigments on a buff slip, represents one of Cyprus’s most iconic ceramic traditions. Widely traded across the region, such vessels embody the island’s role as a key hub of commerce and culture in the Late Bronze Age.

A superb and evocative piece, this juglet not only reflects the artistry of Cypriot potters but also carries with it the enduring legacy of trade, ritual, and daily life in the ancient Mediterranean world.

Excellent condition. Intact. Surface wear, and minor abrasions consistent with age, with areas of encrusted patina and rich earthen deposits across the surface. Size approx. 12,5cm x 7,9cm x 7,9cm.

Provenance: Swedish private collection. Acquired abroad and brought to Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s.

For a similar examples see: 

Jug, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 74.51.950 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/240539)

Bottle, The British Museum, Accession Number: 1977,1011.85 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1977-1011-85)

References and further reading:

Sarah Vilain. The Bronze Age Cypriot Pottery from Tell Tweini Field A. Joachim Bretschneider; Greta Jans. About Tell Tweini (Syria): Artefacts, Ecofacts and Landscape. Research Results of the Belgian Mission., 281, Peeters, pp.313-393, 2019, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 9789042936782. ffhalshs-03531995f (https://shs.hal.science/halshs-03531995/document)

Hirschfeld, N. (2008). Cypriot pottery. In J. Aruz, K. Benzel, & J. M. Evans (Eds.), Beyond Babylon: Art, trade, and diplomacy in the second millennium B.C. (pp. 321-323). Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Merrillees, R. S. (1992). The Absolute Chronology of the Bronze Age in Cyprus: A Revision. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 288, 47–52. (https://doi.org/10.2307/1357230)