Toilet Spoon with Bowl in Shape of a Cartouche
Description
Object Label: The cartouche-shaped bowl of this spoon is incised with a scene showing a pond or an artificial pool. Within the water swim three bolti-fish; lotus flowers and buds rise from the water's edge. Each of these images relates to the Egyptians' belief in rebirth after death. The elegant handle consists of three lotus plants that join to form the neck and head of a duck. Caption: Toilet Spoon with Bowl in Shape of a Cartouche, ca. 1336–1295 B.C.E.. Wood, paste, 2 3/8 x 9 3/16 in. (6 x 23.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.616E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
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.
An ancient Egyptian cosmetic spoon with detailed carvings.
The artifact is a cosmetic spoon featuring a handle shaped like a swimming female figure, likely representing a deity or symbolic figure. The bowl of the spoon displays intricate carvings, possibly symbolizing water with fish and plant motifs, indicative of high craftsmanship. The style suggests an intent for both functional and decorative use, common in personal items of the elite in ancient Egypt.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.616E tier-2
- BKM-Object 4062 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- 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.