Falcon-headed sphinx recumbent on a pedestal with a ramp, and a feline(?) behind, possibly a gnomon for a shadow clock or instrument

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period

664–30 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134

It has been suggested that this unusual piece is a gnomon, the element that casts a shadow in an instrument for measuring time by shadows. Ivory seems an unusual choice, but part of a shadow instrument preserved from Tanis and in the British Museum is also of ivory.

Possibly the sphinx with a falcon head might allude to Re, and the cat to his daughter the Eye of the Sun, their separation and coming together again being certainly associated with the large regular events like the inundation that structures the Egyptian year and life.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Falcon-headed sphinx recumbent on a pedestal with a ramp, and a feline(?) behind, possibly a gnomon for a shadow clock or instrument
Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
Date: 664–30 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Ivory
Dimensions: L. 6.9 × W. 1.6 × H. 3 cm (2 11/16 × 5/8 × 1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.194.2474
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

In the same gallery

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Amulet of a lion-headed Bastet, Faience — Amulet of a lion-headed Bastet
ca. 872–664 BCE

Figure of a Baboon, Faience — Figure of a Baboon
664–525 BCE

Mummy of Nesmin with plant wreath, mask, and other cartonnage elements, Mummified human body, linen, mummification material, faience? (amulets), painted and gilded cartonnage, plant remains — Mummy of Nesmin with plant wreath, mask, and other cartonnage elements
200–30 B.C.

Amulet, Head of an Apis Bull, Serpentinite, ivory — Amulet, Head of an Apis Bull
664–332 B.C.

Amulet of a grasshopper or locust

664–332 B.C.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.