Blue-painted Storage jar

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The use of predominantly blue floral motifs in the decoration of terracotta vessels reached its peak during the reigns of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. The principal component of the blue pigment that was applied to ceramic vessels before firing was cobalt. Numerous examples of ceramics decorated in this style were excavated by the Museum in the palace of Amenhotep III at Malkata, in Thebes (for example 11.215.460). This jar, datable to the middle to late reign of Akhenaten, may have held wine or beer to be served at a banquet. An elaborate polychrome floral decoration was painted on the shoulder and neck. The zigzag line around the neck, derived from the hieroglyph for water, was added to underline the presence of a cool drink inside.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art