Palm Column Kohl Tube

Both men and women in Ancient Egypt lined their eyes with kohl. However, kohl was an expensive cosmetic, worn primarily by elites.

In the New Kingdom, glass kohl sets shaped like flaring palms became a popular accessory. Glassworkers styled the vessels to resemble papyrus columns, an architectural element of Egypt.

The Egyptian learned from their Near Eastern neighbors how to make glass. At first they imported the raw material and processed it in Egypt, but soon they learned how to produce it by themselves. This core-formed glass kohl tube, is datable to the 18th Dynasty. Originally there would have been a long thin glass applicator for the kohl as well. The palm column shape was quite common for glass kohl tubes. The body of the vessel is composed of translucent bright turquoise colored glass and the surface polish is in excellent condition. The flaring palm top is outlined in dark yellow glass and the opening of the vessel is outlined in opaque white glass. The neck of the tube is ...