Egyptian
An Egyptian serpentine kohl jar, Middle Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period, circa 1900 - 1550 BC
Serpentine
Height: 5.3 cm
Further images
The small, green-grey speckled vessel with a rounded body, constricting at the neck, with a wide disc rim and matching lid. Set on a slightly flaring disc foot. Condition: There...
The small, green-grey speckled vessel with a rounded body, constricting at the neck, with a wide disc rim and matching lid. Set on a slightly flaring disc foot.
Condition: There appears to have been a repair to the rim. There are some fibres and deposits remaining inside. The lid is composed of a slightly different stone so may not be original to this vessel.
Condition: There appears to have been a repair to the rim. There are some fibres and deposits remaining inside. The lid is composed of a slightly different stone so may not be original to this vessel.
Provenance
With Merton Simpson, New York, 1979
With Galerie Nefer, Zurich, acquired from the above
Swiss private collection, 2010
Exhibitions
On Loan: Antikenmuseum Basel & Sammlung Ludwig, 1998 - 2022Literature
Used by both men and women of all social classes, the Egyptians believed kohl held vital medicinal, magical and religious qualities. Kohl was not just used to ward off physical ailments, but also ailments of the spiritual kind. Kohl was made primarily from galena or lead sulphide, which was ground onto a palette and mixed with oils or animal fats. The kohl was then stored in beautiful, variously shaped small vessels and applied using a thin kohl stick. For examples see W. Flinders Petrie, The Funeral Furniture of Egypt with Stone and Metal Vases, London, 1977.