Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Apotropaic Wand Fragment
Middle Kingdom
Not on view
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.
One side of this ivory carving depicts a dangerous crocodile, the other shows a jackal’s head on a pole and a poisonous toad on a basket, all rendered in exquisite detail. Apotropaic wands were Middle Kingdom objects decorated with figures that protected mother and child as well as the deceased. The animals on these wands represented both the hazardous and benevolent aspects of their nature, which Egyptian magic attempted to harness for the benefit of humans.
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