Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

Menat necklace from Malqata

New Kingdom
ca. 1386–1347 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 119
A menat necklace consists of a heavy, keyhole-shaped counterpoise (menat) and many strands of beads. Although the necklace is sometimes shown being worn (fig. 2 above), it was more often carried by females participating in religious ceremonies. It functioned as a percussion instrument that was shaken to create a soothing noise that was thought to appease a god or goddess. In the New Kingdom the menat necklace and sistrum (68.44) were attributes of women who held the title "Singer of Amun-Re" such as Renenutet, who is depicted holding her menat on her lap in a statue.

In the early 20th century, the Museum conducted excavations at Malqata, a site at the southern end of the Theban necropolis where Amenhotep III had built a festival city for the celebration of his three jubilees (or heb seds). This miraculously preserved menat necklace and two single-strand necklaces of beads and amulets were found in the corner of a room in a private house near the King's Palace. According to the excavators, the three necklaces had been placed in a linen bag, traces of which were still visible.

Link to a blog about the Museum's excavations at Malqata
The Met's Joint Mission to Malqata

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Menat necklace from Malqata
  • Period: New Kingdom
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 18
  • Reign: reign of Amenhotep III
  • Date: ca. 1386–1347 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Malqata, Birket Habu Mound B 1, Private House B, MMA excavations, 1911–12
  • Medium: Faience, bronze or copper alloy, glass, agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise
  • Dimensions: L. of counterpoise 14.7 cm (5 13/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1911
  • Object Number: 11.215.450
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Reconstruction of Geometric Decoration
ca. 1386–1347 BCE
Leatherworker's Awl Point, Bronze or copper alloy
Leatherworker's Awl Point
ca. 1386–1347 BCE
Beaded Armlet, Gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli, blue and green glass, faience on bronze or copper wire
Beaded Armlet
ca. 1550–1525 BCE
Shabti of Yuya, Cedar, paint, Egyptian blue
Shabti of Yuya
ca. 1386–1347 BCE
Amulets and string of beads, Faience, glazed steatite
Amulets and string of beads
ca. 1386–1347 BCE

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.