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

New Kingdom, Amarna Period
ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 121
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess
  • Period: New Kingdom, Amarna Period
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 18
  • Reign: reign of Akhenaten
  • Date: ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt; Possibly from Upper Egypt, Thebes
  • Medium: Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay
  • Dimensions: H. 10.8 cm (4 1/4 in.); W. 3 cm (1 3/16 in.); D. 1.9 cm (3/4 in.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1940
  • Object Number: 40.2.4
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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