This fine globular jar, carved from banded travertine, imitates the hardstone vessels given as royal gifts in the PreDynastic Period and the Old Kingdom.  The vessel is part of an archaising trend during the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty, when there was a nostalgia for a return to the 'good old days' of the great pyramids, when Egypt was almost isolated from other nations, and not subject to invasions by Assyrians and Nubians. 

Precious ointments were used in daily life, but also in mummification and in funerary rituals and in temples.  Stone was better abe to preserve the fragrance of oils than pottery, and shapes like this permitted an easy access to the interior by the fingers of the owner or officiant.