Facial ashlar from the church of the Poor Clares

The name arose because of the plastic elements of the human face. They were modelled in the upper part of the urn. Most often a nose, eyes, ears and mouth were placed on the neck of the vessel. Ashtrays are often ornamented with geometric and floral motifs. The necks and bellies are engraved with representations of ornaments and elements of weaponry, and sometimes narrative scenes. Chronologically, we associate them with the beginning of the Iron Age (6th - 5th century B.C.), and they occur mainly in box graves. In Bydgoszcz, they have been recorded, among others, in the church of the Poor Clares, on Mennica Street (Młyńska Island). The presented ashtray is 21 cm high, with a diameter of approximately 20 cm. The even, smooth, shiny surfaces of the belly are decorated with three circumferential engraved lines. From the lowest one there are short curved lines and U-shaped festoons.