The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 29, 2023

Cosmetic Vessel

c. 1980–1901 BCE

Egypt, Middle Kingdom (2040–1648 BCE), Dynasty 12

Anhydrite

Diameter: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.); Overall: 6.8 cm (2 11/16 in.)

Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund 1982.3

Location

234 Textile Gallery

Description

Cosmetic vessels would have once contained scented oils or ointments used for beautifying the body, while kohl containers held the eye paint seen in many depictions of ancient Egyptians. Galena, a mineral used in eye paint, helped reflect the sun and repelled insects and tiny organisms that could cause eye disease and blindness. Cosmetics were an essential element of daily life and associated with upholding the ancient Egyptians’ high standards of cleanliness.

Provenance
Formerly in the collection of John G. Ross (purchased 1952 in Cairo; on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in the 1960s); sold: New York, Sotheby Parke Bernet. Purchased from James Freeman, Kyoto
Citations
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, color p. 50; Mentioned: p. 162-163
Exhibition history

CMA, 5 January-6 February 1983, The Year in Review for 1982, cat.: CMA Bulletin 70, no. 1 (January 1983), no. 5, illus. p. 6

The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983).

Egyptomania: Fashion's Conflicted Obsession. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 1, 2023-January 28, 2024).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.3