Getty Museum

Perfume Bottle in the Form of a Woman

Date

575–550 B.C.

Medium

Alabaster

Culture

Greek

Department

Vessels

Institution

Getty Museum

This alabastron, or container for scented oil, is carved in one piece in the form of a woman. The flaring mouth of the flask projects from the top of her head. Depicted frontally from the torso up, she wears a veil, which extends over her shoulders to cover the line of her upper arms. Her ears are visible in front of the veil, and her eyes are long and oblique, with raised pupils. She holds her left arm stiffly at her side, while her right hand is clenched to her breast. A necklace around her neck is composed of eleven beads and a central, large pendant drop. The name given to this type of vessel, an alabastron, originates from objects of the same shape made first in Egypt using precious alabaster. Such vessels were used to hold perfumed oil, and the flat rim may have aided in the application of the liquid to the skin.

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