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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)
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.
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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.
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
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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