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Ostracon with Pharaoh Spearing a Lion and a Royal Hymn on its Back

New Kingdom, Ramesside
ca. 1186–1070 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 124
In this lively hunting scene, an unidentified Ramesside pharaoh is represented symbolically slaying the enemies of Egypt in the form of a lion. The hieratic text reads: "The slaughter of every foreign land, the Pharaoh—may he live, prosper, and be healthy."

This ostracon, a limestone chip used for sketching, was found in the Valley of the Kings during excavations conducted by Howard Carter on behalf of the Earl of Carnarvon, who received the piece in the division of finds. Although many of the figured ostraca discovered in this royal cemetery were clearly trial sketches made to facilitate an artist's work, this scene is not found in royal tombs, nor do the figures conform to the strict proportions of a formal rendering.

The scene was drawn with great economy of line by the confident hand of a skilled artist who required no grid lines as a guide. It may have been done for the amusement of the maker, or it may graphically represent the artist's hope that the ruler should be a strong protector of Egypt.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ostracon with Pharaoh Spearing a Lion and a Royal Hymn on its Back
  • Period: New Kingdom, Ramesside
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 20
  • Date: ca. 1186–1070 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV 62), debris near the entrance, Carnarvon/Carter excavations, 1920
  • Medium: Limestone, ink
  • Dimensions: H. 14 cm (5 1/2 in.), W. 12.5 cm (4 15/16 in.), Th. 1.5 cm (9/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926
  • Object Number: 26.7.1453
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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