Cosmetic Vessel

Steatite kohl pot in the form of the goddess Taweret standing upright. Hollow interior accessible through a small round hole at the very top of the head. There is a small opening between her teeth that might have functioned to secure a lid or depict a tongue protruding from her mouth. The goddess was a fusion of a hippopotamus, lion crocodile and human. She was a protector of pregnant women and associated with motherhood and childbirth. Small chip from back of head. Compare with a 'magical container in the shape of a hippopotamus deity' (1700 - 1500 BC) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art no. 43.8a,b.