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

Wide-Necked Cosmetic 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 shallow-footed cosmetic jar carved from translucent travertine with a wide, flared neck and bulbous body characteristic of New Kingdom luxury vessels.

This vessel exemplifies New Kingdom cosmetic jar design, executed in high-quality travertine (Egyptian alabaster) with a pale cream coloration and subtle veining visible in the translucent stone. The form features a distinctive wide, slightly everted rim, a short cylindrical neck, and a prominent globular body that tapers to a narrow pedestal foot. The proportions and generous neck opening are consistent with vessels designed to hold unguents, kohl, or other cosmetic substances. The stone exhibits a lustrous, finely-polished surface throughout, with no visible inscriptions or decorative incising. The craftsmanship demonstrates the refined stone-working techniques of the period, with smooth, symmetrical proportions and careful attention to the subtle contours of the foot. The artifact shows minimal wear, suggesting either careful preservation or a relatively protected burial context.

daily life excellent
Materials travertine (egyptian alabaster)

Connections

Found at Asasif

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116251998 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 16.10.421 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 544028 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.