Shrine box, lizard
The lizard in later periods of Egyptian history was linked with the creator and solar god Atum, in large part because of their reptilian tendency to warm themselves in the sunshine. Almost all copper alloy representations, like this one, show the lizards prone, with legs slightly splayed, as if basking in the sun’s rays. Most rest on top of boxes that would have held mummified lizards. On this example, the box is open at the back for the insertion of one or more mummies. These boxes would have been offered in temples or for deposition in animal necropoleis, not just in honor of Atum, but also in broad connection with other animal representations linked to solar cult, such as shrew mice, ichneumons, or falcons.
Artwork Details
- Title: Shrine box, lizard
- Period: Ptolemaic or Roman Period
- Date: 304 B.C.–A.D. 364
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Cupreous metal
- Dimensions: H. 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in.); W. 2.7 cm (1 1/16 in.); L. 7.7 cm (3 1/16 in.)
- Credit Line: Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904
- Object Number: 04.2.513
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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664–30 B.C.
ca. 1492–1473 B.C.
5th–4th century B.C.
4th–2nd century B.C.
246–222 B.C.
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