Basinophorous statue of the musician Ptahankh

Object Number
BSAe 1031

Cultural area
Egypt

Epoch
New Kingdom

Basic information
Gabbro, w. 33.5 cm New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, 1390–1353 BC Inv. BSAe 1031

Provenance
Donation 2001 Novartis AG. Collection Richard von Kaufmann (1849–1908), Berlin. Acquired at the Galerie Martin Heckscher in Vienna in the 2nd half of the 19th century.

Description
A basinophororous statue is a rare statue type, representing a figure, usually an official, kneeling before a rectangular or round basin. In this example, we see the official Ptahankh kneeling at a large, rectangular basin which tapers towards the bottom. He is embracing it with both arms, while at the same time leaning forward so that his chin is resting on the rim, as if he is about to drink from it. Ptahankh is known from other monuments besides this one, which means we can date this statue to the reign of Amenhotep III. During Amenhotep III’s reign, Ptahankh was the servant of the high priest Ptahmes at Memphis and the Chief Musician of Ptah. These titles are also found on this statuette, which is, in fact, a prime example of the artistic style of the period. Typical features are the courtier’s slanting, almond-shaped eyes with their elegantly arched brows, and the lifelike modelling of the body, unencumbered by any dorsal pillar or by the plinth, on which only the toes are resting. The edges of the basin and its narrow front end bear inscriptions, which, in addition to his titles, give two offering formulae, invoking the middle-eastern goddesses Qetesh and Astarte. Ptahankh’s wife Mi is also mentioned by name. Discussion of the significance of this statue type has recently been advanced by Kirsten Konrad, who makes a link between the basin and the creative power of the waters of the Nile. In fact, this was probably not just a sacrificial basin, a receptacle for offerings to sustain the deceased in the afterlife, but a real water basin or pool, from which Ptahankh actually drank to ensure that he would enjoy eternal life after death. This concept is related to funerary images of the nourishing tree-goddess, in whose shade the deceased drinks water from a pool.

Bibliography
E. von Bergmann, Inschriftliche Denkmäler der Sammlung ägyptischer Alterthümer des österr. Kaiserhauses 1886, in: Recueil de travaux relatifs à la philologie et à l'archéologie égyptiennes et assyriennes (Paris 1870) 195f. Sotheby's London, Antiquities, 13th July 1981, lot. 58. D. Wildung, Die Kniefigur am Opferbecken, MJbK, 36, 1985, 17-38

Sotheby's London, Antiquities, 9th/10th July 1992, lot 374, mit ausführlichen Literaturangaben Réunion des Musées Nationaux (Hrsg.) Aménophis III (Paris 1993) 204-206, Nr. 40bis T. Philipps (Hrsg.), Afrika. Die Kunst eines Kontinents (München 1995-96) 80 Nr. 1.39 (D. Wildung) M. Page-Gasser – A. Wiese (Hrsg.) , Ägypten, Augenblicke der Ewigkeit. Unbekannte Schätze aus Schweizer Privatbesitz (Mainz 1997) 132 Nr. 79; K. Konrad, Ein weiterer Basinophor, Zur Deutung der Sitzstatue eines Schreibers namens Eje (Ijj), in: SAK42, 2013, 181-192

Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig.101 Meisterwerke (Basel 2022) 46f., Nr. 11

Title
Basinophorous statue of the musician Ptahankh, New Kingdom 18th Dynasty reign of Amenhotep III 1390–1353 BC, Findspot unknown Egypt, Substance not stated, Antikenmuseum Basel

https://antikenmuseumbasel.zetcom.net/en/collection/item/74027/

Antikenmuseum Basel

Hello everyone I’m very interested in sculptures and have been wanting to learn to do it myself that being said, I’m wanting to go look at a vast amount of sculptures in person any good museum recommendations? Not necessarily looking for like the most famous or anything of the sorts really just wanting to see a lot of detail. I live in Oklahoma so preferably any that are closer by but I am willing to plan out an entire trip to go.

Stela of Nesikhonsupakhered

ca. 945–712 B.C.E.

Caption
Stela of Nesikhonsupakhered, ca. 945–712 B.C.E.. Wood, stucco, pigment, 9 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 1 3/16 in. (24.8 x 21.6 x 3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1386E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery
Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Collection
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Title
Stela of Nesikhonsupakhered

Date
ca. 945–712 B.C.E.

Dynasty
Dynasty 22

Period
Third Intermediate Period

Geography
Place made: Egypt

Medium
Wood, stucco, pigment

Classification
Food/Drink

Dimensions
9 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 1 3/16 in. (24.8 x 21.6 x 3 cm)

Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number
37.1386E

Catalogue description
Painted wooden stela inscribed for a woman named Nesi-khonsu-pa-khered. The owner is shown being ushered by Thoth into the presence of Re-Horakhty.

Condition
Glued together from two halves. Paint missing here and there, especially in the areas along the line of the mend. The figures were built up slightly in blue frit, and some of these areas seem never to have received a final coat of paint.

Provenance
Archaeological provenance not yet documented, probably from Thebes, Egypt; by 1852, acquired in Egypt by Henry Abbott of Cairo, Egypt and New York, NY; 1859, purchased from Henry Abbott by the New-York Historical Society, New York; September 1948, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.

Title
Stela of Nesikhonsupakhered, ca. 945–712 B.C.E. Third Intermediate Period 22nd
Dynasty, Findspot unknown Thebes? Egypt, Wood stucco and pigment,The Brooklyn Museum

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/,117936

The Brooklyn Museum

Stelophorous Statue of Webenra

Inv. no. :
Cat. 3040

Material:
Stone / Limestone

Dimensions:
14.4 cm x 31.5 cm x 19 cm

Date:
1292–1076 BCE

Period:
New Kingdom

Dynasty:
Nineteenth – Twentieth Dynasty

Provenance:
Egypt, Luxor / Thebes, Deir el-Medina

Acquisition:
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824

Museum location:
Not on display

Selected bibliography:
Heimann, Simone (Hrsg.)-Stiftung Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Ägyptens Schätze entdecken: Meisterwerke aus dem Ägyptischen Museum Turin, München - London - New York 2012, p. 236.

Orcurti, Pier Camillo, Catalogo illustrato dei monumenti egizi del R. Museo Egizio di Torino, Torino 1855, ii, p. 193.

Porter, Bertha-Moss, Rosalind L. B., Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs and Paintings, Oxford 1960, p. 713.

Vidua, Carlo, “Catalogue de la collect. d'antiq. de mons. le chev. Drovetti, a 1822”, in Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione (a cura di), Documenti inediti per servire alla storia dei Musei d'Italia, vol. 3, Firenze - Roma 1880, p. XVI, 92.

Title
Stelophorous Statue of Webenra, 1292–1076 BCE Nineteenth – Twentieth Dynasty New Kingdom, Findspot Luxor / Thebes, Deir el-Medina, Limestone, Museo Egizio di Torino

https://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/Cat_3040/?description=&inventoryNumber=&title=&cgt=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&materials=&provenance=Egypt%2c+Luxor+%2f+Thebes%2c+Deir+el-Medina&acquisition=&epoch=&dynasty=&pharaoh=&searchLng=en-GB&searchPage=14

Museo Egizio di Torino

Statue of Penshenabu Offering a Naos surmounted by a Ram’s Head

Penshenabu is depicted offering a naos (shrine housing the statue of a god) with a ram’s head on top of it, the animal sacred to the god Amun-Re. The image of the god is engraved on the statue’s right shoulder, while the image of Queen Ahmose-Nefertari is on the left shoulder and that of the goddess Hathor on the left shoulder blade. The man’s skin is white, in imitation of alabaster, like the statue of Amenhotep I (Cat. 1372, Museo Egizio).

Inv. no. :
Cat. 3032

Material:
Stone / Limestone

Dimensions:
20.3 cm x 63 cm x 46.5 cm

Date:
1292–1191 BCE

Period:
New Kingdom

Dynasty:
Nineteenth Dynasty

Provenance:
Egypt, Luxor / Thebes, Deir el-Medina

Acquisition:
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824

Museum location:
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 06 DEM / Showcase 02

Selected bibliography:
Andreu, Guillemette (a cura di)-Andreu, Guillemette, Gli artisti del faraone: Deir el-Medina e le Valli dei Re e delle Regine, Milano 2003, p. 215.

Connor, Simon, Le statue del Museo Egizio, Torino - Modena 2016, pp. 12–13.

Davies, Benedict G., Ramesside inscriptions, translated and annotated: notes and comments, volume III. Ramesses II, his contemporaries, Malden – Oxford 2013, p. 547.

el Shazly, Yasmin, Royal ancestor worship in Deir el-Medina during the New Kingdom, Wallasey 2015, pp. 169–170, 253.

Heimann, Simone (Hrsg.)-Stiftung Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Ägyptens Schätze entdecken: Meisterwerke aus dem Ägyptischen Museum Turin, München - London - New York 2012, pp. 244–255.

Kitchen, Kenneth A., Ramesside Inscriptions: historical and biographical, III (3), Oxford 1980, p. 746.

Kitchen, Kenneth A., Ramesside inscriptions, translated & annotated. Translations, volume III: Ramesses II, his contemporaries, Oxford 2000, p. 501.

Orcurti, Pier Camillo, Catalogo illustrato dei monumenti egizi del R. Museo Egizio di Torino, Torino 1855, ii, p. 72.

Spiegelberg, Wilhelm, “Der heilige Widderkopf des Amon”, Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 62 (1927), pp. 23–27.

Vidua, Carlo, “Catalogue de la collect. d'antiq. de mons. le chev. Drovetti, a 1822”, in Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione (a cura di), Documenti inediti per servire alla storia dei Musei d'Italia, vol. 3, Firenze - Roma 1880, p. Museo Egizio di Torino

Title
Statue of Penshenabu Offering a Naos surmounted by a Ram’s Head, 1292–1191 BCE New Kingdom 19th Dynasty, Findspot Luxor / Thebes, Deir el-Medina, Limestone, Museo Egizio di Torino

https://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/Cat_3032/?description=&inventoryNumber=&title=&cgt=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&materials=&provenance=Egypt%2C+Luxor+%2F+Thebes%2C+Deir+el-Medina&acquisition=&epoch=&dynasty=&pharaoh=&searchLng=en-GB&searchPage=14

Museo Egizio di Torino

Stele of Hetpet

1980–1801 BCE
Egypt, Middle Kingdom (2040–1648 BCE), Dynasty 12%2C%20Dynasty%2012)

Medium
Limestone

Measurements
Overall: 34.2 x 20 x 6 cm (13 7/16 x 7 7/8 x 2 3/8 in.)

Credit Line
Bequest of Samuel L. Mather 1932.190

Location
Not on view

Citations
Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 534

Cite this Artwork
Stele of Hetpet, 1980–1801 BCE. Egypt, Middle Kingdom (2040–1648 BCE), Dynasty 12. Limestone; overall: 34.2 x 20 x 6 cm (13 7/16 x 7 7/8 x 2 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Samuel L. Mather, 1932

Title
Stele of Hetpet, 1980–1801 BCE. Egypt, Middle Kingdom (2040–1648 BCE), Dynasty 12. Findspoț unknown, Limestone. The Cleveland Museum of Art

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1932.190

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Shabti jar

Accession number
ÄS 6935

Current Location
Gallery "Afterlife"

About the object
Shabtis are small, mummiform statuettes that first appeared in the Middle Kingdom and were used well into the Graeco-Roman Period. They are mostly found as grave goods, but occasionally appear in a temple context as well. Though predominantly made of faience, other materials include clay, stone, wood or bronze. Their shape, attributes and function evolved considerably over time. The early figures from the Middle Kingdom are characterised by their simplicity and a very similar iconography to other depictions of the deceased. From the Second Intermediate Period and the New Kingdom on, the mummiform shape with crossed arms gained in popularity, as did inscriptions and agricultural attributes. Indeed, many shabtis are shown with hoes, seed baskets or waterskins as examples of the tasks they would take on in the Afterlife. Over the course of the New Kingdom, the figures became increasingly standardized both in shape and material, favouring blue or green-glazed faience. Starting in the Third Intermediate Period, full sets of shabtis became fashionable. These were generally made up of 365 worker figures and some additional overseer shabtis, identifiable by the staves or whips in their hands. Typical traits for this period include carefully-modelled wigs, detailed faces and dense inscriptions on the bodies of the figures. In the Late Period, shabtis still appeared in large numbers, but were often smaller, mass-produced and frequently only summarily modelled. The early figures probably served as reserve bodies for the deceased and were meant to ensure their continued survival after death. Starting the late Middle Kingdom, their function morphed into agents or proxies meant to take over the deceased’s assigned tasks in the Afterlife. This is explicitly stated in Spell 6 of the Book of the Dead (often inscribed on the figures themselves) where the shabti is exhorted, when called upon, to take over fieldwork and other tasks in the name of the deceased. The common designation, “shabti”, evolved over time from meaning “offering” (š3bty), to “wooden figure” (š3w3bty) to “substitute” (šbty) to the “one who answers” the call to work in the Afterlife (wšbtj). (Arnulf Schlüter)

Inscription
Hieroglyphs, painted

Date
c. 1292–1191 BC., 19th Dynasty, New Kingdom, Egypt (Inventory Card)

Material
Clay, polychrome painted

Dimensions
Height x Diameter: 22.0 x 26.0 cm
(Overall dimension)
Diameter: 17.8 cm - 18,6 cm (Vessel mouth)

Geographic Origin
Unknown

Provenance
seit 1986, Institution: Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, München
bis 1986, Private Individual: Kurt Flimm, Karlsruhe

Individuals / Institutions
Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst

References
Schoske, Sylvia / Wildung, Dietrich, Auf immer und ewig - Visionen vom Jenseits im Alten Ägypten, Dettelbach 2008, cf. 56 mit Abb. 46
Wenzel, Gabriele, Tor zum Jenseits - Grab- und Totenkult im alten Ägypten, München 1997, cf. 14, Abb. S. 21, Kat.-Nr. 21.

Schoske, Sylvia, 1987. Berichte der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen. Neuerwerbungen. Staatliche Sammlung Ägyptischer Kunst, in: Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst (MJbK) 38, 1987, 215-224, cf. 218-219 mit Abb. 4.

Credits
Data set: SMÄK, last editor (chronological): Frauke Pumpenmeier, Nora Heil; Bibliography: Anne-Hélène Perrot; Image processing: Markus Kutschka.

Last change
02.07.2026, 07:25

[Do you have any information on this object?](mailto:sammlung.online@smaek.de?subject=Shabti%20jar,Shabti%20container%20(Shabti)%20&body=https%3A%2F%2Fsammlung.smaek.de%2Fen%2Fobject%2Fshabti-container-shabti-762)

Title
Shabti jar, c. 1292–1191 BC. 19th Dynasty New Kingdom (Inventory Card), Findspot unknown, Clay and paint, Staatliches Museum Ägytischer Kunst

https://sammlung.smaek.de/en/object/shabti-container-shabti-762

Staatliches Museum Ägytischer Kunst

On Monday 21 August 1911 the Louvre was closed to the public, as it was every Monday. The Mona Lisa was hanging in the Salon Carré, held to the wall by four iron hooks, under a protective glass panel that had been fitted not long before.

Vincenzo Peruggia was an Italian glazier who had worked inside the building on that glazing campaign. He was not a stranger who had studied the museum from the outside. He had been paid to be in those rooms, and he knew what the paintings were mounted on because he had handled the mountings himself.

What he did that morning is thin enough that it is hard to call it a plan. He came in through a door used by staff, wearing the white smock the museum's own workmen wore. He lifted the panel off its hooks, carried it to a service staircase, and took the frame and the glass off it there. The frame was found in that stairwell the same day.

The only thing that nearly stopped him was a door at the bottom of those stairs whose handle had been taken off for repair. He was stuck behind it with the painting under his smock until a plumber came past and opened it for him.

Nobody realised the painting was gone until the following morning, and even then the first assumption was that it had been carried upstairs to be photographed. When the police did get round to interviewing him, it was as one name on a list of former contract workers, and he was let go.

What I keep coming back to is how much of this the museum supplied itself. The access, the knowledge of the hooks, the smock, and above all the assumption that a man in working clothes carrying something is doing his job. None of that was stolen. It was issued.

I would be interested to hear from people who actually work in museums whether the contractor side of this has changed, or whether it has mostly been documented. Signing someone in is not the same thing as knowing what they learned while they were there.

Portable shrine

At A Glance

On View
Period
305-30 BCE
Geography
Egypt
Material
Wood
Dimension
H x W x D: 56.3 x 36.7 x 48.1 cm (22 3/16 x 14 7/16 x 18 15/16 in)
Accession Number
F1907.4a-g
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1907.4a-g

Object Details

Label
This is a rare example of a portable shrine that was used by Egyptian priests to carry images of deities in various ceremonies within the temple and on voyages outside the temple during specific festivals. Such shrines are depicted in carved reliefs dating to the Ptolemaic period (305-30 B.C.E.), but few actual examples have survived. The deity in the shrine could be represented by a cult statue or by a living or mummified animal.

The shrine is elaborately decorated with painted scenes of deities and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The sides depict the eight gods of creation, which were closely associated with the cult site of the god Thoth at Hermopolis Magna. The ibis-headed god Thoth is himself represented on one door, and the falcon-headed god Horus on the other. Both doors also depict a kneeling king, indicating that this shrine was a royal commission.

Provenance
To 1907
Unidentified owner, Egypt, to 1907 [1]
From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased in Egypt from an unidentified owner in 1907 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:
[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 36, pg. 32, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)

Art of Dynastic Egypt (December 15, 1976 to September 22, 1977)

Previous custodian or owner
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Sculpture

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt

Keep Exploring

Related Resources
collections.si.edu
Date
BCE 0s
Name
Freer, Charles Lang
Place
Egypt
Topic
Charles Lang Freer collection, Shrine, Art, Horus, Wood, Hieroglyph, Ptolemaic Dynasty (305 - 30 BCE)), Ancient Egyptian Art
Culture
Egyptians
Object Type
Sculpture
On View
Yes

Title
Portable shrine, 305-30 BCE Ptolemaic period, Findspot unknown Egypt, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1907.4a-g/

Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

Funerary Stele
Egyptian
Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 22
945–712 B.C.

MEDIUM/TECHNIQUE
Wood
DIMENSIONS
Height x width x depth: 24.5 x 19 x 7.8 cm (9 5/8 x 7 1/2 x 3 1/16 in.)
CREDIT LINE
Emily Esther Sears Fund
ACCESSION NUMBER
04.1763
NOT ON VIEW
COLLECTIONS
Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
CLASSIFICATIONS
Architectural elements – Stele

DESCRIPTION
Round-topped wood stele covered with gesso and painted red, blue, yellow, black and green. A female wearing a transparent robe and broad collar pours a libation before a mummiform Re-Horakhty. Between the two figures is an offering table. Above the hieroglyphic text is a winged sun disk flanked by two uraei, both wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt.

PROVENANCE
Said to be from Thebes. 1903: purchased by Albert M. Lythgoe in Egypt for the MFA with funds from the Emily Esther Sears Fund.
(Accession Date: January 1, 1904)

Title
Funerary Stele, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 22 945–712 B.C., Findspot Thebes? Egypt, Wood, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/23/funerary-stele?ctx=54df0153-7504-4da4-b769-59d0f3007ba1&idx=0

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Hey everyone!
I’m a paleontology student and the creator of the Prehistoric Life Podcast, and I’m working toward a pretty big dream: opening a paleontology museum in South Carolina.
I just launched a Kickstarter to fund what I hope will be the first physical exhibit toward that goal.
The display will feature a full-scale Allosaurus jimmadseni pursuing a juvenile Stegosaurus, designed as a dynamic scene rather than a traditional static skeleton mount.
One of the things I really want this project to demonstrate is how paleontology changes over time. The idea of a juvenile Stegosaurus using bipedal locomotion is hypothetical, and that’s intentional—I want the exhibit to acknowledge what we know, what we’re still debating, and how our understanding of prehistoric life evolves.
I’m currently trying to raise $15,000 to make the exhibit happen. I’ve already had some amazing people agree to help with the project, including a donated Allosaurus jimmadseni skull and reconstruction work.
If you’re interested in dinosaurs, paleontology, museums, or just seeing a crazy idea become a real exhibit, I’d really appreciate you checking it out. Even sharing it helps tremendously if you can’t contribute.
🦖 Kickstarter: Help Bring Prehistoric Life to South Carolina⁠
Thanks for reading, and I’d genuinely love to hear what you guys think of the exhibit concept!

Amulet of Thoth baboon with Inscription

Place of production
Egypt
Date
7th-4th centuries B. C. (664-332)
Object type
amulet
Medium, technique
Egyptian faience
Dimensions
5.3 × 1.9 × 1.9 cm
Inventory number
51.2177
Collection
Egyptian Art
On view
Museum of Fine Arts, Basement Floor, Ancient Egypt, Daily life

The amulet depicts a squatting hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) with a stylised cape, its paw resting on its knee, while its male member is clearly visible between its legs. Unusually there are hieroglyphs on the chest of his mane. The inscription is a Late Period recitation, i.e., the sculpture invites the viewer to recite the following inscription. In ancient Egypt, the spoken word had a magical, creative effect. In this case, the introduction contains only the name Djehutj or Thoth, which may refer to the god but could also be the name of the statuette’s owner, probably a scribe. The suspension ring at the back of the object could have been shaped of faience, which was easily moulded during the production process.

The baboon was the sacred animal and manifestation of the god Thoth. Animal amulets representing the god became common from the end of the Ramesside period. The inscription and the stylised, smooth surfaces date the object primarily to the Late Period.

Its owner hoped to benefit from its magical powers when identified with the god, but they could also be perceived as a sign of honour to the god. Thoth was the god of writing and the protector of scribes, so the amulet was primarily made for a scribe. When placed in the tomb of the owner, it provided support for the afterlife and for rebirth. Thot’s role in the afterlife was crucial. According to the best-known funerary text, the Book of the Dead, which provides guidance in the afterlife, during the so-called Weighing of the Heart Ceremony, Thoth, as the scribe of the gods, recorded the results of the weighing and could thus prevent the entry to the afterlife. The lunar crescent and full moon headdress on the animal’s head are reference to the relationship of the baboons and Thoth to the moon. The baboon’s relationship with the sun is also important in the context of renewal. They greet the sunrise in the morning with a peculiar ritual, so the animal was thought to possess a special knowledge that could support the deceased in their transformation from Osiris to Ra, and in rebirth. This symbolism is reinforced by the material of Egyptian faience, whose reflective quality and luminosity are also associated with the sun god and whose greenish colour was a symbol of youth and renewal.

Title
Amulet of Thoth baboon with Inscription, 7th-4th centuries B. C. (664-332), Findspot unknown Egypt, Faience, The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/1765/

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Statuette of Two Baboons

Place of production
Egypt
Date
second half of the Ist millennium BC
Object type
sculpture
Medium, technique
Steatite
Dimensions
9 cm (3 9/16 in.)
Inventory number
51.2337
Collection
Egyptian Art
On view
Museum of Fine Arts, Basement Floor, Ancient Egypt, Temples and gods

Title
Statuette of Two Baboons, Second half of the Ist millennium BC, Findspot Unknown Egypt, Sculpture, Steatite, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/1831/

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Portrait of American sculptor Eleanor Platt with her bust of Justice Lewis Brandeis. Photograph was taken at the Peter A. Juley & Son studio in N.Y.C. She had works installed at the New York Metropolitan Museum, National Academy of Design, United States Supreme Court, and many other museums and institutions.

Yellow Pectoral

Object Type
pectoral

Museum number
EA14653

Description
Yellow, blue and red glazed composition pectoral decorated on the face with a low relief representation of the deceased worshipping Anubis; pierced through the cornice for suspension; undecorated back.

Cultures/periods
Ancient Egypt

Findspot
Found/Acquired: Egypt
Africa: Egypt

Materials
glazed composition

Technique
pierced

Dimensions
Length: 9.75 centimetres
Thickness: 2.12 centimetres
Width: 8.24 centimetres

Location
On display (Room 62 - Egyptian Death and Afterlife: Mummies, Display Case 23)

Condition
good

Associated names
Representation of: Anubis

Acquisition name
Purchased from: Rev. Greville John Cheste

Department
Egypt and Sudan

BM/Big number
EA14653

Registration number
1881,0614.18

Title
Yellow Pectoral, Date not given, Findspot unknown Egypt, glazed composition, The British Museum

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA14653

The British Museum

Statuette of a Winged God

Place of production
Egypt
Date
second half of Ist millennium B.C.
Object type
sculpture
Medium, technique
Bronze
Dimensions
10.5 × 6 × 3.5 cm
Inventory number
60.8-E
Collection
Egyptian Art
On view
This artwork is not on display

The statuette represents a male figure, striding forth with this left leg. He wears a ram-head and a headdress combined with sun disc and feathers. A pair of arms of the divinity is placed on the outstretched wings, another pair of arms is extended along the body. The phallus of the ithyphallic figure is decorated with the head of a lion- (or cat-) shaped goddess (Sekhmet/Bastet). From his knees uraeus-snakes emerge. The iconography of the back of the statuette is noteworthy as well. At the height of the head and the neck two additional heads can be seen: the upper one is a head of a lion surmounted by a sun disc, the lower one is that of a jackal. Below the additional heads, the rear part of the body of the god is designed to represent the body and tail feathers of a falcon. A tenon below the narrow base refers to the fact that the statuette could originally have been a part of a statue group.
The figure belongs to a type of the so-called pantheistic or composite gods which frequently appeared during the second part of the first millennium BC, in three- and two-dimensional representations as well. This type of divine image was designed to incorporate and imply as many divine aspects, symbols, and magical powers as possible in a single representation in order to provide the most effective magical protection for its owner against evil demons who were often thought to be sent by the gods themselves. The ram-head of the Budapest statuette decorated with feathers and a sun disc presumably evokes the god Amun-Re. The body of a falcon with the outstretched wings and the additional lion-head may symbolize the power of Atum-Re-Horakhty and his Solar Eye which is sometimes embodied as a lioness. The jackal head can refer to the cults of the funerary god (Ptah-Sokar-Osiris) venerated in Memphis and in its necropolis (Saqqara) who was considered as a chthonic aspect of the sun god.

Statuette of a Winged God, second half of Ist millennium B.C, Findspot unknown Egypt, Bronze, The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/18216/

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Pectoral with Scarab

Egyptian (Artist)

ca. 1295-1069 BCE (New Kingdom, Dynasty 19-20)

steatite with color inlays

(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

The ancient Egyptians believed that the dung beetle, the Scarabaeus sacer, was one of the manifestations of the sun god. Representations of these beetles were used as amulets, and for ritual or administrative purposes.

The rectangular, shrine shaped pectoral has a large scarab in the center. The front displays an adoration scene scarab and baboons in a sun barque. The shrine has a cavetto cornice at the top with an incised winged sun disk (painted red), and a base with lotus flower frieze (in red and blue). The central scene is additionally framed on ]the top and side by a color key, whose colors are mostly gone. The motif displays a scarab in a barque flanked by two baboons in adoration gesture; the mantle of the baboons shows a crossed hatched pattern. All three figures have an extra base, the one of the scarab decorated with a reed pattern. Below the barque is a section with a herringbone pattern, representing water. In the right and left corner are short text columns with the name Wsjr "Osiris." The space around the figures was filled with red, below the barque with blue color paste. The motif is antithetically arranged that the baboons are facing the scarab. The scarab's head, plates, and clypeus (front plate) are carved; pronotum (dorsal plate of the prothorax), elytron (wing cases), and the division between the wing cases are marked by raised borders to confine the color filling (pronotum: red, wing cases: blue). The extremities are carved and have hatch notches on the upper sides for the tibial teeth and the pilosity (hair).

The reverse of the shrine shaped pectoral displays an adoration scene with Osiris and private worshipper. The flat shrine is framed by a cavetto cornice, and color key borders with four-line dividers. The central scene displays the god Osiris on the left, crowned with double-feathers, ram horns and cobra serpents. He holds crock and flail in his hands, and is seated on a block throne with a cushion overlapping the back. His name is written in front of his crown. The figure on the right side represents the female owner of the pectoral; she wears a long pleated dress, a long wig that does not cover the ears, and has a lotus flower on her head; she raises her arms in an adoration gesture. Above her hands is an inscription containing the name of Osiris. Between both figures is an empty oval frame, which represents the juvenile sun, resting on an dd-pillar with two arms embracing the sun. The dominating icon of the scene is the big oval in the center, and the two figures to the right and left look slightly built in comparison to it. The figure of Osiris fills the whole height of the space including his base and crown, indicating an equal importance to the scarab.
The front and back are executed in raised and sunk relief; the front has also colored past filling. The scarab on the front is dominant by its size, central position and raised, round sculpted forms; the two flanking baboons are also prominent by their size and the very high raised relief; all the other details of shrine shaped pectoral are executed in high relief, except the incised wings of the sun disc in the cavetto cornice; the layout is well organized, but the scarab and its base in the barque are lopsided; noteworthy are the rectangular raised sections in the upper corners of the image field with the name of Osiris. Only the blue and red color has been preserved, and it is important to realize that only the scarab has a three-color spectrum: red, blue and white or yellow/gold. The reverse side is more flatly executed, the figures are carved in high relief; there are, as on the other side, two raised, rectangular text fields for the incised inscriptions. The figures are slender and slightly rough; the garments are detailed with very fine hatch line or dot pattern; the layout is balanced, but the figure of Osiris seems slim in comparison to the worshiping lady, due to his large crown and high throne base; moreover, the central oval frame, which originally held a scarab, is lopsided.
The scarab-pectoral is a funerary amulet, which was originally attached to mummy wrappings. The amulet should assure the renewal of the deceased in the afterlife similar to that of the god Osiris, which is why the inscription, which names the seated god, is the same as the inscription, which identifies the worshipping deceased. The combination of sun-oval and dd-pillar of Osiris represents the unification of both deities, and of the cyclical and the linear aspects of time and eternity; the result is the renewal of both deities, of this and the other world, as well as the deceased. While the reverse of the pectoral focuses on the unification process, the front represents the renewal (scarab with baboons in the barque) and rising of the sun (winged sun disc). The amulet should guarantee the meeting of the deceased with the sun god and his consequential renewal.
It is striking that on both sides the scarab is lopsided; it seems to be unlikely that this was just a mistake of a less qualified artist. Most probably the lopsided placement has to do with the idea of the "sloping celestial path," which can be expressed by a lopsided sky hieroglyph. The motif of the scarab in the barque flanked by solar baboons is rare on private pectorals of the New Kingdom, and more popular on scarabs (Walters 42.396), or finger rings see.

INSCRIPTION
[Translation] Osiris.

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1929, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

EXHIBITIONS
2014-2015
Die Entstehung der Welt. Ägyptens letzter Schöpfungsmythos (The Origin of the World. Egypt’s Last Creation Myth). Roemer- und Pelizaeus- Museum, Hildesheim; Kunsthalle Leoben, Leoben.
2013-2014
Egypt’s Mysterious Book of the Faiyum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
2006-2007
Daily Magic in Ancient Egypt. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
1984-1987
Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota.
1987
eyJewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
1979-1980
Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

CONSERVATION
DATE
DESCRIPTION
NARRATIVE

Examination
Examined

Examination
Examined in preparation for exhibition

GEOGRAPHIES

Egypt (Place of Origin)

MEASUREMENTS
H: 3 3/4 x W: 4 x D: 13/16 in. (9.5 x 10.2 x 2.1 cm)

CREDIT LINEAcquired by Henry Walters, 1929

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Not on view

ACCESSION NUMBER
42.91

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Title
Pectoral with Scarab, Findspot unknown Egypt, ca. 1295-1069 BCE New Kingdom, Dynasty 19-20, steatite with color inlays, The Walters Art Museum

https://art.thewalters.org/object/42.91/

The Walters Art Museum

Pectoral with a human-headed scarab in the centre flanked by Isis and Nephthys

Object Type
pectoral

Museum number
EA29369

Description
Polychrome glazed composition pectoral: the face is set with a human-headed scarab in the centre flanked by Isis and Nephthys upon a barque; the reverse is decorated with a djed-pillar and a thet-girdle; the cornice is pierced; at the bottom are a line of loops.

Cultures/periods
Ancient Egypt

Findspot
Found/Acquired: Egypt
Africa: Egypt

Materials
glazed composition

Technique
pierced

Dimensions
Length: 13.29 centimetres
Thickness: 1.55 centimetres (at cornice)
Width: 11.21 centimetres

Location
On display (Room 62 - Egyptian Death and Afterlife: Mummies, Display Case 23)

Condition
good but repaired from four pieces

Subjects
ancient egyptian deity

Associated names
Representation of: Isis
Representation of: Nephthys

Acquisition name
Purchased from: R J Moss & Co

Department
Egypt and Sudan

BM/Big number
EA29369

Registration number
1897,0511.85

Conservation
Treatment

Title
Pectoral with a human-headed scarab in the centre flanked by Isis and Nephthys, Date not given, Findspot Egypt, Gazed composition, The British Museum

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA29369

The British Museum

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The museum maintains a substantial collection of mounted mammals and birds, along with a striking parade of mammal skulls including one most wonderfully crusty bison skulls I have come across.

The museum also features early 1900s room recreations, military history exhibits, a doctor’s office display, and Native American artifacts.

https://redwoodcountyhistoricalsociety.com/

#citizenscience #pleistocene #redwoodcountymuseum #redwoodfalls #fossilfriday #bison

Pectoral amulet depicting the god Anubis

At A Glance

On View

Period
ca. 1539-1190 BCE

Geography
Egypt

Material
Faience (glazed composition)

Dimension
H x W x D: 6.6 x 8.6 x 0.8 cm (2 5/8 x 3 3/8 x 5/16 in)

Accession Number
F1907.152

EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1907.152

Object Detail

Label
The central design of this amulet consists of a pair of jackals facing each other, each seated atop a shrine. The jackals represent Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of embalming, who was also the guardian of the cemetery. Above and behind each jackal are hieroglyphs giving two of the common epithets of Anubis: "Anubis who is embalmer," and "Anubis who is before the god’s place of embalming." The amulet itself is in the form of a shrine, and is pierced for suspending on a cord. Since the jackals represent Anubis, the god of mummification, this pectoral is a purely funerary type of amulet. It would have been placed on the chest of the mummy to ensure its safe passage into the next life.

Provenance
To 1907
Dikran G. Kelekian (1868-1951), Cairo, Egypt, Paris, France, and New York to 1907 [1]
From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Dikran G. Kelekian in 1907 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1581, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)
Charles Lang Freer and Egypt (June 13, 1998 to October 2, 2011)
Art of Dynastic Egypt (December 15, 1976 to September 22, 1977)

Previous custodian or owner
Dikran Garabed Kelekian (1868-1951) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Jewelry and Ornament

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egyp

Keep Exploring

Related Resources
collections.si.edu

Date
BCE 1000s

Name
Freer, Charles Lang, Kelekian, Dikran Garabed

Place
Egypt

Topic
Dynasty 19 (ca. 1292 - 1190 BCE)), Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Faience, Ancient Egyptian Art, Anubis (Egyptian deity)), Protection, New Kingdom (ca. 1539 - 1075 BCE)), Dynasty 18 (ca. 1539 - 1295 BCE))

Culture
Egyptians

Object Type
Ornaments, Jewelry

On View
Yes

Title
Pectoral amulet depicting the god Anubis, ca. 1539-1190 BCE, Faience (glazed composition), Findspot unknown Egypt, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1907.152/

Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art