Art Institute of Chicago

Kohl Jar with Lid

Egyptian

Date

Middle Kingdom-early New Kingdom, Dynasty 12-early Dynasty 18, about 1985-1479 BCE

Medium

Travertine (Egyptian alabaster)

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This small container was designed to hold kohl, a cosmetic eye paint made of ground galena or malachite. Ancient Egyptian men and women wore kohl for its aesthetic appeal but also to dampen the harsh sunlight of North Africa and possibly even for medicinal purposes. Containers like this were buried with their owners for continued use in the afterlife.

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