Kohl Tube Inscribed for Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
Shaped like a slender reed flute, this tube once contained eye paint called kohl that would have been applied with a wooden or faience stick. Its form may refer to Hathor, a goddess associated with both reeds and music. One of several examples inscribed with the names of the king and queen, this tube was probably a royal possession or a gift to a loyal courtier.
MEDIUM
Faience
DATES
ca. 1390–1353 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 18
PERIOD
New Kingdom
ACCESSION NUMBER
37.598E
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Deep blue glazed faience kohl tube. On one side of the cylinder a column is inlaid in light blue. This inscription is placed within a light blue frame,. It reads “The Good God, Lord of the Two Lands, Neb ma’at-re (Amenhotep III). The Kingdom, Wife Tiy, granted life”. A shallow indentation forms a border at the bottom of the tube.
Condition: Small cracks at bottom; blue glaze missing on half of the “neb” sign.
CAPTION
Kohl Tube Inscribed for Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390–1353 B.C.E. Faience, 7/8 × 5 5/16 in. (2.2 × 13.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.598E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.598E_front_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
front, 37.598E_front_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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Tell me more.
All of the objects in this case speak to the proliferation of fine decorative objects produced during the reign of Amunhotep III. Kohl is a cosmetic used for lining eyes in ancient Egypt and today. A tube like this would have come with an applicator stick.
