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Kohl Container in the Shape of a Palm Column

A work made of glass.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of glass.

Date:

New Kingdom, mid–Dynasty 18 or early Dynasty 19, about 1352–1213 BCE

Artist:

Egyptian

About this artwork

This small container was designed to hold kohl, a cosmetic eye paint made of ground galena or malachite. Ancient Egyptian men and women wore kohl for its aesthetic appeal but also to dampen the harsh sunlight of North Africa and possibly even for medicinal purposes. The columns shaped like palm trees common in ancient Egyptian architecture inspired the elegant form of this glass vessel. Containers like this luxurious example were buried with their owners for continued use in the afterlife.

Status

On View, Gallery 50

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Kohl Container in the Shape of a Palm Column

Place

Egypt (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1352 BCE–1213 BCE

Medium

Glass

Dimensions

8.3 × 3.6 × 3.5 cm (3 5/16 × 1 7/16 × 1 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson

Reference Number

1941.1084

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/43353/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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