Sistrum with the Names of Senwosret I
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
Sistra were cultic instruments used by royal women and others for the worship of Hathor, though the goddess herself could also hold one. When shaken, metal disks on a crossbar produced a soothing tinkling sound that could perhaps summon the goddess. Senwosret I donated the rare Middle Kingdom sistrum exhibited here to an unidentified sanctuary. The face depicts the goddess Bat, whose cult was incorporated into that of Hathor.
Sistra were cultic instruments used by royal women and others for the worship of Hathor, though the goddess herself could also hold one. When shaken, metal disks on a crossbar produced a soothing tinkling sound that could perhaps summon the goddess. Senwosret I donated the rare Middle Kingdom sistrum exhibited here to an unidentified sanctuary. The face depicts the goddess Bat, whose cult was incorporated into that of Hathor.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sistrum with the Names of Senwosret I
- Period: Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 12
- Reign: Senwosret I
- Date: ca. 1961-1917 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes
- Medium: Faience
- Dimensions: H. 5.9 cm (2 5/16 in.); W. 6.8 cm (2 11/16 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.)
- Credit Line: Lender Johns Hopkins University Archaeological Museum for Eton College, Windsor, England
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art