A fine Egyptian Anhydrite Kohl Pot, Middle Kingdom, ca. 1900 - 1650 BCE

During the Middle Kingdom, small stone vessels were used to hold galena (kohl), the lead ore utilized in ancient Egypt by both men and women for eye makeup. The design of the kohl pot was specialized for this purpose, featuring broad, low proportions that fit comfortably in the palm of the hand, a wide opening to accommodate an applicator, and a tight lid to protect the contents from dust, wind, and moisture.

This beautiful example, with its hand-carved smooth, convex sides, small footed base, and rounded shoulder, is made from anhydrite, a rare and exquisite stone that is difficult to cut. The Egyptians particularly favored anhydrite for creating cosmetic containers during the Middle Kingdom. The fine bluish-grey color is well complimented by the flat creamy white alabaster rim that fits snugly into the mouth of the vessel. 

Medium: Breccia

Dimensions: Height: 1 1/4 inches (3 cm)

Condition: Small chip to rim and body on one side most probably from a drop, otherwise the vessel is intact and in very good condition overall. A truly lovely example.

Provenance: Royall Tyler (1884 - 1953), thence by descent. Royall ("Peter") Tyler was an historian, diplomat, economist, and art connoisseur. He was his the deputy commissioner general of the Economic and Financial Section of the League of Nations in Geneva (1924–1928). In 1923, Royall Tyler and Elisina Tyler acquired (and later restored) the historic garrison-castle, Antigny-le-Château, in Burgundy. Tyler was instrumental in organizing the first international exhibition of Byzantine art in Paris in 1931. In the same year, he became the League of Nations Financial Committee’s financial advisor to the Hungarian government in Budapest (1931–1938). In 1938, Tyler was appointed as expert in the Economic and Financial Section of the League of Nations in Geneva (1938–1943). Between 1943 and 1949, Tyler served as the Swiss representative of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and, in 1944, as the special attaché to the U.S. Legation in Bern. After the war, he also worked in Paris, first as head of the Paris field office of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (1946–1949) and then as the European representative of the National Committee for a Free Europe, an American anti-Communist organization founded in 1949 by Allen Dulles, with whom he helped found the Free Europe College in Strasbourg, France. His last book, The Emperor Charles the Fifth, perhaps left incomplete by his death in 1953, was published posthumously in 1956. Royall Tyler was a life-long friend of Mildred Barnes Bliss and, after her marriage, of Robert Woods Bliss. He was instrumental in advising them as collectors and often served as their agent in acquisitions. Known as "Peter" to many of his friends, Royall Tyler was widely recognized as an art, wine, and food connoisseur. He died at the age of sixty-eight on March 2, 1953, in Paris, apparently by suicide.