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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
Model Vessel
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Model Vessel

Place FoundEgypt, Africa
CultureEgyptian
Date2543-2120 BCE
MediumPottery
Credit LineCollected by William A. Shelton, funded by John A. Manget
Dimensions2 5/8 x 7/8 in. (6.7 x 2.2 cm)
Object number1921.038
Label TextDuring the Old Kingdom, miniature replicas of full-size offerings were often placed in the tomb, either in the burial chamber or in the chapel. These inexpensive substitues were thought to magically transform into their full-size counterparts in the next world.

Model dishes and bowels were the most commonly produced, but representations of food have also been found.
Exhibition HistoryLife and Death in the Pyramid Age: The Emory Old Kingdom Mummy, Michael C. Carlos Museum, September 10 - December 11, 2011
Published ReferencesPeter Lacovara and Betsy Teasley Trope, The Realm of Osiris (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2001), 26.

ProvenanceAcquired for Emory University Museum by William Shelton (1875-1959), ca. 1920.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art