Cosmetic Box
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
Personal Arts under Amunhotep III
King Amunhotep III supported artisans and workshops that produced extraordinary personal arts.
The objects included faience, glass, and intricately designed pottery vessels and gold jewelry. Found in both domestic and funerary contexts, these luxury objects were prized by the living and often buried with their owners for use in the afterlife.
The opulence of these objects reflects the splendor and extravagance of the reign of Amunhotep III—the self-styled “Dazzling Sun Disk of All Lands,” who initiated monumental building programs and commissioned vast amounts of sculpture —and anticipates the flamboyant style of Tutankhamun’s time (circa 1332–1322 B.C.E.).
All objects in this case date to the reign of Amunhotep III (circa 1390–1352 B.C.E.) unless otherwise indicated.
MEDIUM
Wood (acacia?), pigment (Egyptian blue)
DATES
ca. 1336–1292 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
late Dynasty 18
PERIOD
New Kingdom
DIMENSIONS
3 × 1 1/2 × 6 5/8 in. (7.6 × 3.8 × 16.8 cm)
mount (m2): 3 × 6 3/4 in. (7.6 × 17.1 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
37.602Ea-b
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Semi-circular wooden toilet box with sliding lid and mushroom-shaped knob. Decorated with bands of leaves/fruit, and a block border, once inlaid with blue paste. Divided inside; 5 compartments.
Condition: Intact.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Cosmetic Box, ca. 1336–1292 B.C.E. Wood (acacia?), pigment (Egyptian blue), 3 × 1 1/2 × 6 5/8 in. (7.6 × 3.8 × 16.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.602Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.602Ea-b_overall01_PS20.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 37.602Ea-b_overall01_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2024
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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