The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Vessel in the Form of an Ostrich Egg

Vessel in the Form of an Ostrich Egg

c. 1540–1296 BCE
(1540–1069 BCE)
travertine
Diameter: 8.2 cm (3 1/4 in.); Diameter of mouth: 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.); Overall: 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.620
Location: 107 Egyptian

Description

Both ancient Egyptian men and women loved cosmetics. Unguents, oils, and perfumes made from aromatic plant resins and gums were obtained at great cost from distant lands. The objects identified with cosmetics were given lavish treatment. Here the fanciful form is an ostrich egg.
  • Purchased in Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent
  • Bohac, Ken. "When is a Stone Just a Stone: Two New Kingdom Vessels in the Cleveland Museum of Art," Cleveland Studies in the History of Art, Vol. 2, 1997. pp. 6-15, figs. 5a-b.
    Kozloff, Arielle P. Egypt’s Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III and his world. Cleveland : Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1992. Reproduced: cat. 113, p. 412
    Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 269; Mentioned: p. 269
  • Egypt's Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III and His World. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 1-September 27, 1992); Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (October 24, 1992-January 31, 1993); Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 75008 Paris, France (March 2-May 31, 1993).
    CMA 1916, no. 54, p. 210, pl. 339; CMA/Fort Worth/Paris 1992-93, no. 113 (entry by Arielle P. Kozloff)
  • {{cite web|title=Vessel in the Form of an Ostrich Egg|url=false|author=|year=c. 1540–1296 BCE|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.620