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Object Timeline
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1960 |
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2014 |
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2023 |
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Lotus-shaped Cup (Egypt)
This is a Lotus-shaped cup. It is dated ca. 1100 BC and we acquired it in 1960. Its medium is colored faience (ceramic frit). It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.
The oldest object in the museum's collection, this vessel still shows its striking blue color, created by adding copper to its quartz-based medium. Both its color and form imitate the petals of the Egyptian lotus flower seen in black outline. A symbol of life, death, and rebirth in ancient Egyptian culture, the lotus opens its petals every morning as if being born. Each evening it closes, symbolizing death, followed by rebirth the next morning.
This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled A Toast to Life, Death, and Rebirth.
It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
- Egyptian Revival Style Biscuit Tin
- offset lithograph on tin.
- 1990-93-4-a,b
- Cymbals (Luristan (western Iran))
- bronze.
- Gift of Paul Manheim.
- 1967-92-15-a,b
- The Weighing of the Heart Brooch In Art Form Holder
- gold, faience (ceramic frit amulet fragment, egyptian, 7th-5th century bc),....
- Gift of Linda Lichtenberg Kaplan.
- 2011-15-1
Our curators have highlighted 8 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:
- Tile (USA)
- glazed earthenware.
- Gift of Marcia and William Goodman.
- 1983-88-13
- Bowl (USA)
- thrown and glazed earthenware.
- 1991-142-5
- Goddess Sakhmet Figure
- glazed fritware.
- Gift of the Estate of David Wolfe Bishop.
- 1951-185-21-a,b
Its dimensions are
H x diam.: 8 x 5 cm (3 1/8 x 1 15/16 in.)
Cite this object as
Lotus-shaped Cup (Egypt); colored faience (ceramic frit); H x diam.: 8 x 5 cm (3 1/8 x 1 15/16 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt; 1960-29-1
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Making Design.
