Art Institute of Chicago
Ointment Vessel
Egyptian
- Date
- New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (about 1550-1295 BCE)
- Medium
- Travertine (Egyptian alabaster)
- Culture
- Egypt
- Department
- Arts of Africa
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
Perfumes and fragrant ointments for soothing the skin were an important part of beauty routines in Egypt’s hot, dry climate. Like the sometimes costly cosmetics they were designed to contain, these elegant vessels were desirable luxury goods, made in varied forms from an array of materials. The shallow bowl here was used for scented ointments and is embellished with a pomegranate-shaped handle. Regarded as a fertility symbol because of its numerous seeds, the pomegranate became a popular decorative motif in ancient Egyptian jewelry and other objects associated with beauty.
The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Linked open data
Authority identifiers that link this record into the wider web of cultural data — stable references you can follow to the source.
- Object type
- AAT300193015
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Art Institute of Chicago and other institutions.
Ointment Vessel
Art Institute of Chicago
Ointment Jar with Lid
Art Institute of Chicago
Cosmetic Vessel
Cleveland Museum of Art
Oil Jar with Lid
Art Institute of Chicago
Cosmetic Vessel (Beaker)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Spouted Bowl
Cleveland Museum of Art
Alabastron
Cleveland Museum of Art
Alabastron
Cleveland Museum of Art
Vessel in the Form of an Ostrich Egg
Cleveland Museum of Art
Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)
Art Institute of Chicago
Ointment Vessel with Lid
Art Institute of Chicago
Alabastron (stopper)
Cleveland Museum of Art