ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Falcon Mummy

AAT Object Techniquepainting (image-making)

AAT Object Form/Functionmummies (bodies)

(not assigned)Egypt

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period - Ptolemaic Period

Date722-30 BCE

MediumLinen, paint, resins, animal remains

Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund

Dimensions20 1/2 x 5 in. (52.1 x 12.7 cm)

Object number2005.040.002

Label TextAt the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the donation of votive objects by private individuals on a large scale became increasingly popular within the cults of certain deities, peaking during the Ptolemaic Period. These votives included bronze statuettes and mummified sacred animals. A variety of animals were bred, mummified, and presented as offerings in temples before being interred in special catacombs. This mummified falcon, sacred to the god Horus, displays the elegantly precise wrappings characteristic of the late periods of Egyptian history. Although animal mummies typically were adorned with cartonnage masks representing the species in question, falcons often bore a human face, as here. The eyes, face, and headdress are all modeled from linen, using differing colors of fabric.

Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - March 13, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Gallery, July 17, 2018 - Present

ProvenancePurchased by MCCM from Sue McGovern-Huffman [Sands of Time Antiquities], Washington DC.

Status

On view

Collections