Kohl Applicator

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period-Roman Period

Date722 BCE-642 CE

MediumIvory

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions2 3/16 in., 3/16 in., 3/16 in., 1 g (5.6 cm, 0.5 cm, 0.5 cm, 1/16 oz.)

Object number2018.010.1016

Label TextAncient Egyptian grooming was much like ours today but done with different tools. Wooden combs untangled hair. Razors sharpened by grinding palettes kept men and women clean-shaven. Blunt-edged tweezers plucked out unruly hairs. Oil and unguent were applied to the skin to soften hair for shaving and plucking. Kohl made eyes more luminous and protected them from disease and the sun’s glare. Kohl was stored in pots and tubes of many shapes. Once mixed with a binder, kohl was applied by kohl sticks or the fingers to help it adhere to eye rims and lashes. Bronze mirrors polished to a high sheen reflected the area to be groomed or beautified.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed. Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 4.

ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Jean-François Mignon, Aix-en Provence, France.

Status

Not on view

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