Kohl Pot with Lid on Base
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
Kohl Containers
Eye makeup has been used for millennia.
Ancient Egyptian men and women used a dark substance called kohl as eye makeup for nearly four thousand years, from the Predynastic Period until the Roman occupation in the fourth century c.e. Kohl emphasized the eyes, reduced sun glare, and repelled flies. The common presence of kohl containers in burials indicates that the Egyptians believed these concerns would continue in the afterlife.
MEDIUM
Serpentine
DATES
ca. 1400–1292 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
second half of Dynasty 18
PERIOD
New Kingdom
DIMENSIONS
2 3/16 x 1 3/4 x 1 9/16 in. (5.5 x 4.5 x 3.9 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
37.645Ea-b
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Black serpentine kohl pot and lid.
Body: Small chips in rim; larger chips in stand.
Condition: Lid: once broken in two, now mended. Body: Small chips in rim; larger chips in stand.
CAPTION
Kohl Pot with Lid on Base, ca. 1400–1292 B.C.E. Serpentine, 2 3/16 x 1 3/4 x 1 9/16 in. (5.5 x 4.5 x 3.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.645Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.645Ea-b_erg456.jpg)
IMAGE
overall,
CUR.37.645Ea-b_erg456.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 9/6/2007
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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