Upper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s Head

Upper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s Head

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This woman’s head belonged to the upper part of a figure vase, a type of vessel that became popular during the 18th Dynasty. Her hair and facial details are rendered in black paint. A small circular handle is attached to the back of her head. Figure vases could represent servants and personal attendants, but the most popular type depicted kneeling women with children. Their iconography put the emphasis on private and everyday life, and it is supposed they were linked to midwifery and/or medicine.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Upper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s HeadUpper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s HeadUpper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s HeadUpper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s HeadUpper Part of a Jar in the Shape of a Woman’s Head

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.