Art Institute of Chicago
Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)
EgyptianLinkedCulture matchlcp-b3f2759025d0
- Date
- 7th century BCE/1st century CE
- Medium
- Alabaster
- Culture
- Egypt
- Department
- Arts of Africa
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 136427
Before soap was invented, scented oils were used for bathing or perfume and stored in vials like this one. This early Egyptian example was carved from alabaster, a translucent stone that is plentiful in Egypt. Through trade the Greeks obtained and then copied the shape in colored glass or clay, calling the shape an “alabastron,” after the stone used for the vessels. Because they were considered very personal belongings, alabastrons were often buried with their owners and have been found frequently in tombs.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
- Provenance
- Reverend Chauncey Murch (1859-1907), Luxor, Egypt; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1894; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1894.
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300193015
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