Kohl jar

The squat, high-shouldered kohl jar has a wide depression, making the rim smaller and thicker. The kohl jar was made of a noble material, as was customary, in this case the most commonly used Egyptian alabaster, or travertine. Its material, shape and size date the jar to the First Intermediate Period. The mixture produced from black galena, used as eye paint, was used in the Middle Kingdom with a stick, the so-called applicator, and before that it was applied with fingertips. By this time, the green pigment made of copper-based malachite, which was popular in the Old Kingdom, was used less frequently.

The dark make-up painted around the eyes served both an aesthetic, decorative purpose and a practical, medical function. Mixed with other medicinal substances and giving the eyes some shade, lead-containing galena had an antiseptic effect: it was a means of preventing and alleviating eye diseases caused by hot climate, strong sunlight and sandstorms. It can be demonstrated that the substance contained synthetic ingredients, so its production required considerable expertise. Kohl jars were personal items for everyday life, but they were often carried on as grave goods for the afterlife, consequently the precious material they were made of was also of great importance.