A terracotta chalice of the Indus Valley civilisation featuring geometric decoration. The body features a globular, hemispherical shape with a flared lip. The chalice sits upon a thick, hollowed stem, adorned with two encircling ridges, which develops to a flared foot. Dark pigment adorns the vessel: three parallel lines encircle the body below the rim. Beneath is a geometric pattern of downwards-facing triangles followed by three more parallel lines. Pigmented lines also encircle the base of the body, between the ridges, and the edge of the foot. The rim is enriched with short vertical lines whilst the rest of the interior remain unadorned. There are earthy encrustations and chips throughout the piece, including some larger chips to the rim. The Indus Valley Civilisation was one of three early and widespread cradles of civilisation along with Ancient Egypt and the Near East. At its peak, the Indus Valley Civilisation, which included such sites as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, may have had a population of over five million, who developed new techniques in pottery, seal carving, and metallurgy. They were accustomed to creating small terracotta figurines, many of which took the form of zoomorphic characters, with the cow being one of the most popular. Measurements: (circa) H 10.7cm x W 13cm Provenance: From the David Gold (deceased) collection, 1970’s.