Cow plaque

New Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 117

This metal plaque depicts a cow with a sundisk between its horns, which is a common representation of the goddess Hathor. It was excavated at Deir el-Bahari, close to a shrine for this goddess. Most likely the plaque had been deposited at this shrine, as a donation to the deity. There are two elongated loops on the back of the plaque: one is in the center of the cow’s back, and the other is on the baseline. These were probably used for stringing this plaque together with a series of similar small pieces.

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