Lepidotus fish

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period

664–30 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

The lepidotus fish was sacred to the Egyptians, and was linked in mythology to the story of the god Seth’s dismemberment of Osiris. The esteem afforded this fish is apparent in the care and detail of some of its representations. Here the scales and fins are finely executed, the round eyes large and thickly rimmed. A tang on the underside would have attached the fish to another element, possibly a statuette, plinth, or a mummy box.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Lepidotus fish
Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
Date: 664–30 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Cupreous metal
Dimensions: H. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.); W. 1 cm (3/8 in.); L. 7.6 cm (3 in.)
H. (with tang): 5.8 cm (2 5/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
Object Number: 10.130.1347
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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