AN EGYPTIAN BASALT COSMETIC VESSEL Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, circa 1980-1801 B.C. With polished concave sides, the narrow vessel flares from a flat base to a projecting rim, 5.5 cm high, Literature: For similarly shaped vessels of varying material see Sir W. M. Flinders Petrie, 'The Funeral Furniture of Egypt. Stone and Metal Vases', reprinted Warminster, 1977, Plate XII. For an example in a Swiss private collection see Madeleine Page-Gasser and Andre Weise, with Thomas Schneider and Sylvia Winterhalter, 'Égypte, Moments d'éternité. Art égyptien dans les collections privées, Suisse' (Mainz, 1998) no. 47. For a discussion on such vessels see Lise Manniche, 'Sacred Luxuries - Fragrance, Aromatherapy and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt' (New York, 1999) p. 109-110, Provenance: Private collection of Albert Davis, Arizona, USA, acquired between 1970 -1989.