Stone vessels of travertine, or 'Egyptian alabaster,' were used from the First Dynasty through the New Kingdom and although these were sometimes painted, the translucent nature of this stone was among its desirable qualities. Each container was once housed within a home or other enclosure and considered part of a greater context that acknowledged both the material presence of a lovely form and that which can not be seen: the hollowed space contained within the vessel and the space surrounding the object itself. The glowing, translucent quality of these travertine forms eloquently expresses this complex idea.