Cosmetic jar
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 simple cylindrical cosmetic jar carved from pale travertine (Egyptian alabaster) with a flared rim and tapering body, characteristic of Middle Kingdom vessels.
This vessel exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of Middle Kingdom Egyptian artisans. The form is elegantly minimal: a cylindrical body that tapers slightly toward the base, topped with a gently flared rim. The material is pale creamy travertine (Egyptian alabaster), polished to a luminous finish that showcases subtle veining in the stone. The vessel's proportions and lack of decoration are consistent with utilitarian cosmetic containers from this period, designed to hold unguents, oils, or kohl. The craftsmanship is evident in the smooth, evenly finished surfaces and the precise symmetry of the form. No hieroglyphic inscriptions or decorative relief are visible.
Cross-references (4)
- Wikidata-Q Q116252197 tier-1
- Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- Inventory-Number 26.7.1442 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- MET-Object 543958 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.