The Struwe collection

Let us now move on to another section of the collection. While the objects we have discussed before all have an inventory number starting with ‘LB’, for (de) Liagre Böhl, there are around 90 objects that bear a number starting with ‘Struwe’. Six of these are cuneiform tablets, but the vast majority is pottery.

The ‘Struwe’ collection was brought together by a Mr. Struwe, who spent a lot of time in Turkey in the 1960s. Most of the artifacts originate from there, although there are also some objects from Iran. In 2017, Mr. Struwe donated his collection to the NINO.

The vast majority of Struwe’s collection consists of pottery. And not sherds like we have seen before, but beautiful and complete specimens of the finest quality. There are oil lamps, amphorae, jugs, jars, bowls, cups, flasks… in all shapes and sizes.

The two objects you see here are a nice example of a Roman oil lamp from Turkey, decorated with a dove on a branch. The other is a donut-shaped vessel fashioned from blackened clay, most probably also from Turkey.

Besides pottery, Struwe also collected a variety of other objects. There are quite some colorful beads in the collection, which he apparently bought because his wife particularly liked them. Another object, that does not really ‘go’ with the rest of the NINO artifacts, is a Byzantine metal pendant cross with images of the four evangelists on it.