Cypriot Large bird askos from Vounous: Early Cypriot III- Middle Cypriot I

Askoi were used to pour libations, perhaps of wine, beer or oil to propitiate and honour spirits. Despite seeming to have 4 legs, this could be seen as only having two legs which fork for stability, and such images are interpreted as birds. This one is almost identical to one found at Bellapais Vounous in tomb 32 in 1932 (only an extra set of body rings). It is clearly by the same potter, probably in the same batch.  Tail broken off, small losses of slip.  Mended.

Ovoid horizontal body with tubular neck and cut-away beaked spout: handle from behind spout to nearby body. A leg extending from below front and back of body, sloped outwards, both forking half way down.

Red slip with incised lime-filled decoration: diagonal dashes down handle and back, on the latter flanked by triple lines. Down the sides four bands of parallel lines flank a band of two lines flanking a line of dashes. Similar band on sides of neck, linked at the throat by 3 parallel lines. Parallel horizontal lines below neck and on leg tops.