The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 23, 2025

Cosmetic Vessel (Cylinder Beaker)

1980–1801 BCE

Egypt, Middle Kingdom , Dynasty 12

(2040–1648 BCE)
travertine
Diameter of mouth: 5.6 cm (2 3/16 in.); Overall: 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.813
Location: Not on view

Description

Jars of this shape and material are common in Middle Kingdom tombs. This one, however, is inscribed with the Egyptian word merhet, which means "perfumed oil," and after thousands of years it still has traces of sweet-smelling resin.
  • Purchased through Henry W. Kent
  • Kozloff, Arielle P. “Egyptian Stone Vessels in Cleveland.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 73, no. 8 (October 1986): 327–339. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 332-333, fig. 16-17 www.jstor.org
    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. 162; Mentioned: p. 162
  • CMA 1916, no. 73, p. 212, pl. 339
  • {{cite web|title=Cosmetic Vessel (Cylinder Beaker)|url=false|author=|year=1980–1801 BCE|access-date=23 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.813