<em>Cosmetic Jar</em>, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.05.320_erg3.jpg)

Cosmetic Jar, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.05.320_erg3.jpg)

<em>Cosmetic Jar</em>, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.09.889.11_09.889.10_05.320_09.889.12_NegID_05.320GRPA_print_bw.jpg)

Cosmetic Jar, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.09.889.11_09.889.10_05.320_09.889.12_NegID_05.320GRPA_print_bw.jpg)

<em>Cosmetic Jar</em>, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.05.320_NegID_05.320GRPA_print_cropped_bw.jpg)

Cosmetic Jar, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.05.320_NegID_05.320GRPA_print_cropped_bw.jpg)

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Cosmetic Jar

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Pre-Dynastic, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

Ancient Egyptians often kept cosmetics in elegant little containers, just as many people do today. The tiny pierced handles of this miniature jar, perhaps used to store scented ointment, allowed it to be suspended out of the reach of children, pets, and crawling insects.

MEDIUM Basalt

DATES ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E.

PERIOD Predynastic Period, Naqada II – Early Dynastic Period

DIMENSIONS 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 05.320

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1905, acquired by Maurice Nahman of Cairo, Egypt; 1905, purchased in Cairo from Maurice Nahman by W. M. Flinders Petrie for the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Small black basalt (?) vase with two pierced handles on upper part of body, undecorated. Condition: Perfect except for very minor chips on rim. Drill marks very evident on the interior. Walls quite thick. Unfinished inside.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Pre-Dynastic, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Cosmetic Jar, ca. 3600–2675 B.C.E. Basalt, 2 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (5.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.320. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.05.320_erg3.jpg)

IMAGE overall, CUR.05.320_erg3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 9/21/2007

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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