Ca. 3rd millennium BC. A large cream-coloured painted vessel with an out-turned rim, bulbous body gently tapering to a flat base. The exterior of the pot is painted with scenes depicting a tree on one side and a zebu bull with characteristic hump and curving horns on the other. They are surrounded by a geometric background comprising repeating suns, clouds and vegetal motifs. The Indus Valley Civilisation was an important Bronze Age culture which arose in ca. 3300 BC and lasted until ca. 1300 though its heyday, to which this ceramic vessel belongs, was in the 3rd millennium BC. The bull, with its hump and powerful horns, is a recurring motif in the Indus Valley, appearing on painted pottery like this example but also on figurines and stamps. The animal may represent the leader of a herd, who is able to protect his followers, or it could be a reflection of the bull’s importance in religious sacrifice. Cf. N. Satyawadi, 1994. Proto-Historic Pottery of the Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, New Delhi.Size: L:195mm / W:190mm ; 1.9kgProvenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in Belgium; previously in 1970s European collection.