ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Aegis of Sekhmet

AAT Object Form/Functionnecklaces

AAT Object Form/Functionheads (representations)

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period

Date722-332 BCE

MediumGold

Credit LineGift of Sally and Joe Gladden in honor of James B. Miller, 2007 Woolford B. Baker Service Award recipient

Dimensions7/8 x 5/8 in. (2.2 x 1.6 cm)

Object number2007.011.001

Label TextThe aegis appears in the New Kingdom as a cult object. It is composed of a broad collar surmounted by the head of a lion-headed goddess with a sun disc and uraeus on her head. The lion goddess may be Bastet, Sekhmet, Wadjet, or Tefnut. The back of the aegis has a suspension loop.
Exhibition HistoryLost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 9 - August 31, 2008
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, May 24, 2013 - March 30, 2015
Published ReferencesRoyal-Athena Galleries, Art of the Ancient World Volume XVI (2005), 73, number 178.

ProvenanceEx coll. Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo, Egypt. With Jerome Eisenberg (1930-2022) [Royal-Athena Galleries], New York, New York, from 2005. Purchased by MCCM from Royal-Athena Galleries.

Status

Not on view

Collections