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

Object Information
  • 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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