Fine Egyptian Faience Kohl Offering Tray w/ Ten Cups
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate to Late Dynastic Period, 21st to 31st Dynasty, ca. 1069 to 332 BCE. A stunning modeled offering with a flat, rectangular tray and ten conical cups with discoid bases and ringed rims arranged in two rows of five, all formed from gorgeous periwinkle-hued faience. The base of each cup is integral with the tray upon which they stand, indicating the entire offering presentation was formed in a single cohesive mold. The artist who created this offering ensemble used copper to create the gorgeous sky-blue faience glaze that coats every element of the tray and cups. Several of the cups contain traces of the original kohl material with one cup filled almost to its rim. Size: 5" L x 1.75" W x 1.75" H (12.7 cm x 4.4 cm x 4.4 cm)
Faience was known as "tjehnet" to the ancient Egyptians, meaning "brilliant" or "dazzling." It was made by grinding quartz or sand crystals together with various elements, including copper oxide, which gave it its distinctive blue or blue-green tint. The Egyptians believed that blue faience reflected the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife, and funerary objects are often made from this material. Faience cups were placed in tombs holding various kinds of food or drink as an offering. Blue faience symbolized the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife. This example of a ten-cup offering tray may have been used by the living as a container for various types and colors of kohl make-up, or perhaps as an offering to a high-status woman who enjoyed cosmetics and how they made her look when in public.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-prominent New York, New York, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#149848
Condition Report: Repair to one cup at base. Light surface wear commensurate with age including a few tiny chips, nicks, and scratches, with some deposits over the blue glaze. Nice remains of original kohl material inside several cups.
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Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate to Late Dynastic Period, 21st to 31st Dynasty, ca. 1069 to 332 BCE. A stunning modeled offering with a flat, rectangular tray and ten conical cups with discoid bases and ringed rims arranged in two rows of five, all formed from gorgeous periwinkle-hued faience. The base of each cup is integral with the tray upon which they stand, indicating the entire offering presentation was formed in a single cohesive mold. The artist who created this offering ensemble used copper to create the gorgeous sky-blue faience glaze that coats every element of the tray and cups. Several of the cups contain traces of the original kohl material with one cup filled almost to its rim. Size: 5" L x 1.75" W x 1.75" H (12.7 cm x 4.4 cm x 4.4 cm)
Faience was known as "tjehnet" to the ancient Egyptians, meaning "brilliant" or "dazzling." It was made by grinding quartz or sand crystals together with various elements, including copper oxide, which gave it its distinctive blue or blue-green tint. The Egyptians believed that blue faience reflected the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife, and funerary objects are often made from this material. Faience cups were placed in tombs holding various kinds of food or drink as an offering. Blue faience symbolized the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife. This example of a ten-cup offering tray may have been used by the living as a container for various types and colors of kohl make-up, or perhaps as an offering to a high-status woman who enjoyed cosmetics and how they made her look when in public.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-prominent New York, New York, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#149848
Condition Report: Repair to one cup at base. Light surface wear commensurate with age including a few tiny chips, nicks, and scratches, with some deposits over the blue glaze. Nice remains of original kohl material inside several cups.
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Time, Location
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