Ointment Vessel
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (about 1550-1295 BCE)
Medium
Travertine (Egyptian alabaster)
Dimensions
17.1 × 11.2 × 3.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 7/16 × 1 3/16 in.)
Classification
personal grooming / hygiene / cosmetic container
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
128012
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Perfumes and fragrant ointments for soothing the skin were an important part of beauty routines in Egypt’s hot, dry climate. Like the sometimes costly cosmetics they were designed to contain, these elegant vessels were desirable luxury goods, made in varied forms from an array of materials. The shallow bowl here was used for scented ointments and is embellished with a pomegranate-shaped handle. Regarded as a fertility symbol because of its numerous seeds, the pomegranate became a popular decorat...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....