Fragrance in Art: Portrait of Lady Tjepu at the Brooklyn Museum

Lady Tjepu, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Limestone, gessoed and painted, 14 13/16 x 9 7/16 in. (37.6 x 24 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 65.197
Lady Tjepu, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Limestone, gessoed and painted, 14 13/16 x 9 7/16 in. (37.6 x 24 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 65.197

I just wanted to share this beautiful ancient Egyptian tomb painting, a portrait of a woman named Lady Tjepu (now in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum). I thought it would interest some of you–in addition to her sheer linen gown, opulent jewelry, and dramatic kohl, she wears a perfumed cone of wax on her head. Women and men wore these cones as a means of self-perfuming: as the cone gradually melted during the course of a banquet or other festivity, its perfumed oils would run down the wig and scent the wearer’s body, drenching it in fragrance.

If you’re going to deal with hot weather (even hotter than we’re having here in NYC this week!), you may as well smell good meanwhile.

A New Address for Anna Sui in NYC

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I’ll always hold onto my happy memories of time spent in Anna Sui’s boutique at 113 Greene Street—parties, fragrance launches, just regular shopping trips by myself or with a friend. I’ve met Anna there, several times. I’ve enjoyed chatting with the sweet sales associates. I’ve purchased many cherished dresses, a handbag, several lipsticks, and one of my favorite necklaces there.

This is New York City, however, and the only constant is change. Anna has just left the Greene Street location and opened a new flagship just a few blocks away, at 484 Broome Street. (I could swear I’d read that the new address would be somewhere on Bleecker Street, but I can’t find that reference now; I think the earlier version of the WWD story has been updated from “Bleecker” to “Broome.” Change in plans? Landlord/real estate drama? Who knows!)

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In any case, I plan to visit the new boutique soon, and I’ll try to get some photos of the new space. In the meantime, you can browse my past Anna Sui-related posts here.

Images via Anna Sui press/customer mailing list.