Ivory Unguent Box of Queen Nefertari

Unique in the Egyptian repertoire, this miniature box of ivory and ebony is adorned with incised circles and the tiny figure of a hedgehog. The body is lenticular, with a sharply-defined shoulder and a cylindrical foot. The lid is flat, and slightly too small for the container, suggesting that perhaps they did not go together originally. The type seems to belong to the North Syrian tradition, and is similar to examples from Ugarit.

On the lid, which swivels open to reveal the hollow space inside, are the cartouches of Ramesses II and his first principal wife, Nefertari. Married to the king before his coronation, she was greatly esteemed, shown beside her husband in many tomb and temple scenes and in statuary, and even given her own temple in Nubia, where she was worshipped as Hathor. Her importance is demonstrated both in ritual contexts, and in the world of diplomacy, as she is known to have corresponded with the king and queen of the Hittites. After her early death, she was buried in the Valley of the Queens, where her tomb remains one of the most spectacular testaments to the artistry of the ancient Egyptians.

The purpose of this box is not known for certain, but it is tempting to think that it may have held some cream, perhaps containing red ochre to be used as rouge for the cheeks. It has been suggested that the Egyptians also painted their lips, but there is no clear evidence for this. The hedgehog, like many of the others encountered in the cosmetic repertoire, is associated with the cycle of death and rebirth, perhaps in this case by their ability to hibernate in their underground dens when food is scarce, then suddenly reappear, as if emerging from the grave.

Janice Kamrin 2016

Purchased by Lord Carnarvon (d. 1923) in Paris. Carnarvon Collection purchased by the Museum from Lady Carnarvon, 1926.

Newberry, Percy E. and H. R. Hall 1922. Catalogue of an Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Art. London: Burlington Fine Arts Club, p. 88, no. 26.

Hayes, William C. 1959. Scepter of Egypt II: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Hyksos Period and the New Kingdom (1675-1080 B.C.). Cambridge, Mass.: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 343.

Wicke, Dirk 2008. Vorderasiatische Pyxiden der Spätbronzezeit und der Früheisenzeit, Alter Orient und Altes Testament, 45. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, no. KH.44, pp. 382–3, pl. 32c.