Painted pottery Minoan Decorated jug, late Minoan IB period, c.1575-1500 BC. From lower Egypt, thought to have been found in Egypt by was made on Crete.

One of the world's most famous works of Minoan pottery, this vessel shows five molluscs called nautili floating above the sea floor. The sinuous undulating lines of the water plants and nautili tentacles clearly demonstrate the Minoans' love of bold sweeping designs. For the Egyptians, Minoan painting must have provided an exotic contrast to their own balanced, ordered designs.