Collection
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Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Blue-Painted Storage Jar

ca. 1353–1329 B.C.E.

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Object Label

Blue painted decoration on large vessels became fashionable during the reign of Amenhotep III (circa 1390–1352 B.C.E.). The blue pigment was likely produced with cobalt, a mineral originating in the western oasis, located about 150 miles from the Nile Valley and accessible to the Egyptians since the Old Kingdom.

Caption

Blue-Painted Storage Jar, ca. 1353–1329 B.C.E.. Clay, pigment, 26 9/16 × Diam. 17 1/8 in. (67.4 × 43.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.244. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Blue-Painted Storage Jar

Date

ca. 1353–1329 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 18

Period

New Kingdom, Amarna Period

Geography

Place made: Tell el-Amarna, Egypt

Medium

Clay, pigment

Classification

Vessel

Dimensions

26 9/16 × Diam. 17 1/8 in. (67.4 × 43.5 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour

Accession Number

16.244

Frequent Art Questions

  • How would this have been stored so it didn't tip over?

    These vessels were placed either in holes in the mud floor of a house or in pot stands of clay or wood. Occasionally representations of these vessels show them simply leaning against a convenient wall.

  • How did these vessels with pointed bottoms stay upright in ancient Egypt?

    We get that question often. Vessels like this one may have stood in specially designed racks with openings to hold those pointed bottoms. They also may have been placed in holes dug into earth floors, or simply have been leaned against walls.
    You'll notice the color blue on many objects in this gallery. For the ancient Egyptians, blue symbolized water, necessary for all forms of life, and especially crucial in a desert climate!

  • What would they store in this jar?

    Based on its shape, this storage jar would have been used to store grain.

  • How does this stand up?

    That's a very common question! The ancient Egyptians had pot stands for their rounded bottom vessels.
    The vessels could also be nestled into the sand or sockets in the floor or simply leaned against a wall.
    Cool! Thanks!

  • Tell me about this.

    Vessels like this would have been placed in holes in the ground or on pot stands made of clay or wood in order to keep them upright!
    This light blue represented water, and so life, for the ancient Egyptians. You can imagine that, particularly in a desert climate, water would be a crucial symbol of life!
    The decoration on this pot os based on a broad collar-style necklace ancient Egyptians would wear called a wesekh. The design of the necklace as based on one made of flowers which symbolized rebirth.

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