Cosmetic flask (mukhula)
Type:
Flasks
Date:
Eighth to ninth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Egypt
Medium:
Glass
Dimensions:
Height of 10.2 cm and diameter of 2.9 cm
Description:
A mukhula is a container for kohl, an eye cosmetic made since antiquity (as far back ca. 3100 BCE) to contour the eyes in black. A pointed probe could be dipped into the container, which held finely powdered antimony. The specific example shown here is made from turquoise-colored glass with luster-painted decoration, but other vessels of this type were also made of ivory, bone, crystal, or bronze. Lining the eyes was not exclusive to women, and kohl was sometimes used as a medicinal salve with benefits to one's vision.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
5
Repository and Online Resources:
• See more views of this object on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
