Shrine sistrum of King Apries

This sistrum exemplifies the developed form of the naos sistrum as it is known from the Middle Kingdom. Above the handle appears the face of a woman with cow ears wearing a straight wig. A cornice above her head carries a naos, or shrine, whose center is open, except for the uraeus appearing in the opening. Tall inward spiraling elements appear on either side of the shrine.

The face is the fetish of the goddess Bat, a frontal female face with cow ears and tall horns; the tall volutes beside the shrine seem to be derived from Bat’s tall horns. Although Bat was a separate goddess until Dynasty 11, probably her similar identity as a cow goddess along with other factors led to the adoption of her fetish for the naos sistrum that was already associated with Hathor. Following that convergence, the head with wig and naos is generally referred to as the Hathor emblem. Frontal countenances with their direct gaze have great potency in many cultures: the developed naos-sistrum was an empowered substitute for Hathor, and for other great goddesses who shared dangerous and generative powers.

The sistrum is inscribed on both sides for the pharaoh Apries, referring to shaking the sistrum and making jubilation for a goddess who is probably Tefnut.