Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Bowl with Lotus Design

ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E.

1 of 6

Object Label

The blue hue and simple black designs of this vessel are typical of Egyptian faience objects. Craftsmen painted the designs onto raw faience compound or mixed moist faience paste with mineral colorants before firing.

Caption

Bowl with Lotus Design, ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E.. Faience, 1 1/4 × 4 1/8 in. (3.2 × 10.5 cm) mount : deck mount (m2, in 2025): 8 × 4 1/4 × 3 in. (20.3 × 10.8 × 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Egypt Exploration Fund, 14.610. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Bowl with Lotus Design

Date

ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 18

Period

New Kingdom

Geography

Place excavated: Sawama, Egypt

Medium

Faience

Classification

Vessel

Dimensions

1 1/4 × 4 1/8 in. (3.2 × 10.5 cm) mount : deck mount (m2, in 2025): 8 × 4 1/4 × 3 in. (20.3 × 10.8 × 7.6 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of the Egypt Exploration Fund

Accession Number

14.610

Frequent Art Questions

  • Could you tell me how faience was made?

    Faience is a man-made mixture of "ground quartz or quartz-sand held together by and alkaline binder. The bright and shiny surface seen on this figurine is a result of glazing. The glaze was made of a form of powdered glass mixed with a liquid and applied either with a brush or by dipping the entire figurine.
    It gets it's blue color from copper that is mixed into or applied to the surface of the quartz body before firing.

  • How common is the image of a blue lotus in Egyptian Art? (I see one example in this museum).

    Very common.The lotus is a symbol of birth and rebirth on which the Creator solar deity first appeared in the Nun, the formless ocean within which the universe was created.
    Got it, thank you.

Have information?

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bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.