Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · vessel

Shouldered jar

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Travertine (Egyptian alabaster)

AI image analysis claude-haiku-4-5

Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A shouldered travertine jar with a narrow neck and flared rim, characteristic of Old Kingdom vessel forms. The surface shows natural veining and weathering typical of Egyptian alabaster.

This is a shouldered jar crafted from travertine (Egyptian alabaster), displaying the classic Old Kingdom vessel morphology. The piece features a rounded, bulbous body that tapers toward the base, with a distinct shoulder where the vessel walls angle inward toward a narrow, cylindrical neck. The rim is flared outward in a characteristic manner. The surface exhibits the natural striations and veining inherent to travertine, along with age-related discoloration and surface patina. The craftsmanship demonstrates the refined stone-working techniques of the Old Kingdom period. The vessel appears to have been wheel-formed or hand-carved from the stone, resulting in smooth, well-proportioned walls. No visible decoration, hieroglyphic inscriptions, or surface carving is apparent in this photographic documentation.

photographic documentation Old Kingdom good
Materials travertine (Egyptian alabaster)

Connections

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116252238 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 07.228.87 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 543932 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.