The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Alabastron (stopper)

Alabastron (stopper)

305–222 BCE
(332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)
travertine
Diameter: 3.3 cm (1 5/16 in.); Overall: 22.9 cm (9 in.); Stopper: 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in.); Body: 19.1 x 2.5 cm (7 1/2 x 1 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1995.262.b
Location: 107 Egyptian

Did You Know?

This is the lid to a perfume holder which might have been attached to a string, making it easily portable.

Description

Both ancient Egyptian men and women loved cosmetics. Unguents, oils, and perfumes made from aromatic plant resins and gums were obtained at great cost from distant lands. The objects identified with cosmetics were given lavish treatment.
  • Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 486, cat. no. 382
  • {{cite web|title=Alabastron (stopper)|url=false|author=|year=305–222 BCE|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.262.b