Amuletic aegis of Bastet or Sakhmet

Third Intermediate Period

ca. 1070–664 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 127

This small piece represents a so called aegis, which is a protective element that combines a broad collar with the head of a deity. The broad collar was a common jewelry item that consisted of several rows of beads and was worn on the chest. Here the head of a feline goddess is featured; this is possibly Sakhmet. She wears a large sun disk and a uraeus cobra on her head. Underneath her lion ruff one can see part of a human tripartite wig, a common element for animal headed deities.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Amuletic aegis of Bastet or Sakhmet
Period: Third Intermediate Period
Date: ca. 1070–664 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Gold, Egyptian blue
Dimensions: H. 2.5 × W. 2 × D. 1 cm (1 × 13/16 × 3/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Peter Gottesman, in honor of Mauricette E. Gottesman and George H. Gottesman, 2016
Object Number: 2016.493
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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Head of a goddess, probably Mut, for attachment to a processional barque, Cupreous metal, gold leaf, formerly inlaid — Head of a goddess, probably Mut, for attachment to a processional barque
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