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Ivory Unguent Box of Queen Nefertari

New Kingdom, Ramesside
ca. 1290–1224 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 124
This lenticular box with a sharp shoulder and flat swivel lid sits on a cylindrical foot. Around the outer edge of the lid and on one of the flat surfaces for the knobs used to close the container are incised circles. The tiny figure of an animal of some sort sits in front of the other knob. On the lid are the cartouches of Ramesses II and his first principal wife, Nefertari. The purpose of the box is uncertain, but it was likely used for cosmetics.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ivory Unguent Box of Queen Nefertari
  • Period: New Kingdom, Ramesside
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 19
  • Reign: reign of Ramesses II
  • Date: ca. 1290–1224 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Hippopotamus ivory, rosewood
  • Dimensions: H. 3 cm (1 3/16 in); Diam. 5 cm (1 15/16 in); Greatest W. 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926
  • Object Number: 26.7.1291
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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