The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Necklace of Gold Ball Beads

Necklace of Gold Ball Beads

Period:: Middle Kingdom
Dynasty:: Dynasty 12
Reign:: reign of Amenemhat I, early
Date:: ca. 1981–1975 B.C.
Geography:: Country of Origin Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, Southern Asasif, Tomb of Wah (MMA 1107), Mummy, bandages at neck, MMA 1920
Medium:: Gold, linen cord
Dimensions:: Overall length of necklace 64 cm (25 3/16 in); diam. of beads 0.9–1.1 cm (3/8–7/16 in)
Credit Line:: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1940
Accession Number:: 40.3.17

This artwork is not on display

Description

Five of Wah's necklaces (40.3.15–40.3.17) were probably worn by Wah during his lifetime, although some may have been restrung for his burial. The beads of the gold (40.3.17) and silver (40.3.19) necklaces are hollow; each bead is made of
two hemispheres of hammered metal sheet that have been attached using a method akin to soldering. The seams have been burnished so as to be almost invisible.
Provenance

Mummy of Wah excavated by the Egyptian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1920. Acquired by the Museum in the division of finds, 1920. Mummy unwrapped in New York, 1940.
See also
What
Metal (59,587)

Costume (43,644)

Gold (12,483)

Linen (7,712)

Jewelry (7,527)

Necklaces (1,381)

Cord (469)
Where
Africa (33,578)

Egypt (29,894)

Upper Egypt (13,570)

Thebes (10,504)
When
2000-1000 B.C. (18,741)
In the Museum
Egyptian Art (26,256)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Egypt, 2000–1000 B.C.
MetPublications
Search for related Met publications