Kohl-Jar

Kohl-Jar

Object name: Kohl-Jar
Date: 1550-1086 BC
Dimensions:
76 x 152 x 50 mm
Medium: Alabaster
Object number: C00410
DescriptionThis small jar would have contained the cosmetic Kohl, a black mixture used under the eyes to prevent the glare of the sun reflecting off the skin. Traces of Kohl remain at the bottom.
Made of aragonite according to the Cuming's original catalogue entry.
From the sale of the Surrey Museum, July 1836. The Surrey Museum was a privately owned museum, located in Walworth near to where Richard Cuming lived. This museum was connected with the nearby Surrey Zoological Gardens. Richard Cuming’s sale receipt shows he bought Egyptian, Etruscan and Greek objects. The Egyptian objects were associated with both Giovanni Belzoni, Giovanni D'Athanasi and Henry Salt, all very important early collectors and importers of Egyptian antiquities.
Culture: Story of Southwark