ANCIENT COSMETICS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 105, 6 May 1933, Page 15 (Supplement)

ANCIENT COSMETICS

EGYPTIAN TOILET SETS.

'l he New York Historical Society has reassembled aand reinstalled its large and valuable collection of Egyptian antiquities, and is exhibiting many articles which have never been placed on public view before. In reinstalling the collection each article had to be re grouped. The collection is now so arranged that articles and objects of a kind ami period arc exhibited together (states the New York Times). There is a collection of articles of the. Eighteenth Dynasty, 1580-1350, B.C. They are extremely rare. Many of these antiquities have been placed on view for the first time. They show that rhe women of ancient Egypt were thoroughly conversant with beauty culture in all its modern phases. They possessed rare cosmetics, pomades, perfumes, and unguents. Skilled in the art of make-up, they painted their checks, lips, and nails and anointed their hair and bodies with delicately

scented oils. They knew how to pencil their eyes and eyebrows with “kohl,” an Arabic word meaning “eye paint.” Tho highly coloured sculptured statues, which they were so fond of executing and placing in their tombs, are true to life. In the collection arc toilet sets, dishes, spoons, and boxes used for cosmetics, perfumes, and ointments. There if a large number of wooden and wood and ivory subjects. Some of them are decorated with biids, flowers, and human forms. A wooden toilet spoon has a handle in the shape of’a jackal which grasps the edge of the bowl in his mouth. Another spoon is in the form of a cartouche in the hollow of which a lake is represented. The handle is composed of three lotus flowers and a duck’s head. An ivory dish bears tho -head of a gazelle.

Elaborate Boxes on View. There is a large wooden spoon in the shape of a bouque t of flowers, the largest of which forms a swivelled cover over the bowl. It was originally inlaid with ivory and coloured paste. A wooden box for toilet articles has a sliding cover, which was originally fastened with a cord around the knobs at one end. Inside, the box is divided into four compartments. Toilet dishes of wood are in the forms of floating men and women. A large wooden box, with elaborate decorations, shows a man seated and being entertained by refreshments, music, and dancing. There is also an exhibit of toilet articles made of bronze and other metals. Among them are mirrors, hair-curlers, razors, combs, hairpins, and kohl pots. A beautiful hand mirror is decorated with the cow-headed goddess Hathor on rhe handle between papyrus flowers and stems. Two bronze mirrors have handles in the shape of girls with payrus umbels on their heads. Metal toilet spoons with kohl sticks on the ends belong to the Roman period from 30 BjC. to 300 A.D. A copper razor blade with the cutting edge on one side is from the period 2000-1780 B.C. There are two bronze hair curlers, bronze and ivory hairpins three or more inches long and kohl sticks for applying paint to the eyes. A beautiful Faience kohl tube, 1580-1150 B.C. has five separate sections. Two wooden kohl tubes for containing kohl sticks have separate partitions. Palette Used in 3500 B.C. Of interest is a palette for grinding green malachite, out of which eye paint was made in early times. It belongs to the year 3500 B.C. Two reed tubes are for eye paint. A kohl tube has four different, eye paints. The on each tube designate the seasons in which the preparations are to be used. The fourth preparation is to be used every day in the year. The tube dates from 1580 to 1350 B.C. There arc vases and receptacles made of alabaster. They were used to hold ointments. Other alabaster toilet articles arc paint pots in tho shape of different animals. Besides the collection of toilet articles there is an exhibit of rare scarabs of the time of King Amenhotep 111. Two of them commemorate his marriage, recite his prowess as a great hunter, and tell of the vast boundaries of his empire. He celebrated his marriage by issuing a large number of scarabs. His reign introduced a now conception of art in relief decorations for tombs, amulets, and necklaces.