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

New Kingdom, Amarna Period

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.

Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess, Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay

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Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess, Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay
Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess, Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay
Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess, Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay
Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess, Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay
Perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase inlaid with the figure of a princess, Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian,gold, and colored glass inlay

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