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

Kohl jar with lid

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

Description

Serpentinite

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 serpentinite kohl jar with lid consisting of a bulbous vessel body and two flat circular lids, displaying the characteristic dark and light speckled surface typical of serpentinite stone.

This is a cosmetic vessel, specifically a kohl jar, fashioned from serpentinite stone. The artifact exhibits a bulbous, slightly flattened vessel body with what appears to be a broad, flat opening at the top. Two distinct circular lids are present—one fitted atop the vessel and one displayed separately in the foreground. The stone shows the characteristic mottled appearance of serpentinite, with light tan and darker brown or black flecks and veining throughout the surface. The wear and patina visible across both the vessel and lids indicates considerable age. The form is simple and functional, consistent with cosmetic storage vessels from the Second Intermediate Period through Early New Kingdom. No decorative carving, inscription, or figural elements are visible on the surface. The speckled coloration and weathering suggest an authentic ancient artifact that has been preserved in reasonable condition.

decorative Second Intermediate Period–Early New Kingdom good
Materials serpentinite

Connections

Found at Asasif
Materials StoneSerpentinite

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116252144 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 16.10.419a, b tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 543989 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.