Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess

Unknown

ca. 1353–1336 B.C. · Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay · Egyptian Art

The shape of this perfume bottle imitates that of a ritual vessel used for water libations. Inlaid on its side is a marvel of lapidary skill-a little Amarna princess standing on a blossom of the blue lotus, a species that opens anew each morning with the rising sun. For an Egyptian, the child and the flower would have been a powerful image of rebirth and rejuvenation.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1353–1336 B.C.

Medium

Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1940