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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
Column Capital with the Face of Hathor
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Column Capital with the Face of Hathor

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa
CultureEgyptian
PeriodNew Kingdom, Dynasty 19 or later
Dateafter 1292 BCE
MediumLimestone
Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund and Gift of the Morgens-West Foundation
Dimensions9 in. (22.9 cm)
Object number2001.017.001
Label TextThis section from a column capital represents the face of a goddess with both human and bovine features. Two goddesses, Bat and Hathor, were typically depicted in bovine form, either as a cow, or with ears and horns of a cow. The horns have not survived in this instance, but the long ears remain, protruding to either side.

These two goddesses became linked during the Middle Kingdom when the image of the ancient goddess Bat was incorporated into the decoration of the sistrum, a musical instrument played in the cult of Hathor. Temples dedicated to Hathor often contained columns surmounted by the face of the goddess, or the head of Bat, as a monumental symbol of the sistrum.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - Present
ProvenancePurchased by MCCM from Merrin Gallery, New York, New York.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art