New Year Gift: Incense Spoon

Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom

Norman de Garis Davies

Not on view

The New Year festival celebrated the birth of the sun god and was associated with the rebirth of the king, as well as with renewal in general. Different traditions have been recorded as being part of this celebration. In New Kingdom tombs, scenes depict presentations of New Year gifts to the king. Among them was temple equipment, such as this golden incense spoon with a long handle. Gold was a popular material that was associated with the sun, and in the context of the new year, might additionally refer to the newborn sun god.

New Year Gift: Incense Spoon, Norman de Garis Davies (1865–1941), Tempera on paper

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New Year Gift: Incense Spoon, Norman de Garis Davies (1865–1941), Tempera on paper
New Year Gift: Incense Spoon, Norman de Garis Davies (1865–1941), Tempera on paper

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