Cippus (magical stela)
This small stela is representative of the genre of Egyptian art known as the cippus (plural, cippi) or magical stela. An image of the infant Horus on the front beneath a Bes-image is shown subduing dangerous animals. The Metternich Stela (acc. 50.85) is the largest and most elaborate example of the genre.
Texts on such stelae often include a reference to transforming water poured over the stela into a curative libation.
Texts on such stelae often include a reference to transforming water poured over the stela into a curative libation.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cippus (magical stela)
- Period: Ptolemaic Period
- Date: 300 B.C. approximately
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Steatite
- Dimensions: H: 14.5 x W: 8 cm (5 11/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1928
- Object Number: 29.2.15
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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360–343 BCE
664–332 B.C.
664–332 B.C.
ca. 825–773 B.C.
610–595 BC
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