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Details
LOT 0016
Egyptian Black Stone Kohl Vessel
MIDDLE KINGDOM, CIRCA 1991-1665 B.C.
2 in. (190 grams, 53 mm wide).
Squat in profile with integral discoid base, broad discoid rim to the mouth.
Provenance
Swiss collection, acquired in 1998.
Literature
Cf. Guidotti, M.C., Vasi dall’epoca protodinastica al Nuovo Regno, Museo Egizio di Firenze, Rome, 1991, p.120, no. 114, for a similar example.
Footnotes
Such vessels contained kohl, an eyepaint either green or black. Kohl was used as a cosmetic in daily life, mentioned in funerary texts as necessary make-up in the presentation of the deceased before Osiris, and served as a medical treatment for eye ailments. The small size of kohl jars and their tiny capacity indicate the preciousness and costliness of the contents.
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