Ointment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi I

Ointment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi I

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This ointment jar was probably valued more for its inscription than for the perfumed oil or unguents it contained. With a wide rim and flat foot, the vessel has a disk shaped lid with a circular protuberance on the inside. Such receptacles were common from the Fifth to the Eleventh Dynasty. Many similar jars bear inscriptions that mention the celebration of the royal jubilee (Sed festival) have been found, most of which date to the Sixth Dynasty. This jar bears the name of Pepi I and mentions the first celebration of his Sed festival, which seem to have taken place in the eighteenth year of his reign. Such jars were most likely given as royal gifts, underscoring the king’s preeminence, but also distinguishing the person to whom they were presented.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ointment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi IOintment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi IOintment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi IOintment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi IOintment jar inscribed with the name of Pepi I

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.