r/ExploreLuxor

Osiris

PLACE CREATED Egypt, Africa

CULTURE Egyptian

PERIOD Late Period - Ptolemaic Period
DATE 722-30 BCE

MEDIUM Bronze

CREDIT LINE Gift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

DIMENSIONS 8 3/4 x 2 11/16 x 1 3/4 in., 1060 g (22.3 x 6.8 x 4.5 cm, 2 lb. 5 3/8 oz.)

OBJECT NUMBER 2018.010.738

TERMS

PROVENANCE
Said to be ex coll. Lord George Talbot. Purchased by Georges Ricard (1921-2012) from Roger Fernand Galliano, Paris, France, July 24, 1974. Ex coll. Musée de l'Égypte et le Monde Antique, Collection Sanousrit, Monaco, 1975-1982. Ex coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California.

STATUS Not on view

COLLECTIONS Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art

The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University

https://collections.carlos.emory.edu/objects/37715/osiris

Standing Mummiform Figure of Osiris
664–332 B.C.E.

Caption
Standing Mummiform Figure of Osiris, 664–332 B.C.E.. Bronze, 10 9/16 x 2 15/16 x 1 15/16 in. (26.8 x 7.5 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 11.664. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery
Not on view

Collection
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Catalogue description
Standing mummiform bronze figure of Osiris. Conventional posture. Hands grasping flail and crook; crown of Upper Egypt with feather on each side; large uraeus, no inscription. Heavy socket on base.

Condition:
Good, left side of base broken, nose slightly scarred. Apparently cast solid. Good routine workmanship.

Title
Standing Mummiform Figure of Osiris

Date
664–332 B.C.E.

Period
Late Period (probably)

Geography
Place made: Egypt

Medium
Bronze

Classification
Sculpture

Dimensions
10 9/16 x 2 15/16 x 1 15/16 in. (26.8 x 7.5 x 5 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Collection Fund

Accession Number
11.664 j

Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org

The Brooklyn Museum

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/5726

Models for sculptor
limestone, early Ptolemaic period (4th-3rd century BC)

unknown provenance  (inv. no. E 0.9.40015-0.9.40016)                      

Skilled Egyptian sculptors commonly used models on small, easily transportable slabs to practice or teach the art of relief carving. The use of these models dates back to the New Kingdom (16th-12th centuries BC), but became more widespread during the Late Ptolemaic period (7th-1st centuries BC).

The museum possesses two exquisite limestone model slabs of unknown provenance. One shows the profile of a ruler wearing a blue crown and the uraeus, the cobra symbol of royalty. The other model, carved on both sides, depicts the profile of a young ruler, wearing an elaborate wig, a uraeus on his forehead, and a broad, barely visible necklace.

On the back, however, there is a portrait of a female bust with a vulture-shaped headdress, a royal as well as divine attributes.

The three figures on the two slabs are drawn according to the canons of the most ancient period with the head in profile, the eye and the shoulder facing forward, but the stylistic rendering, the rounded face, the thick lips curled upwards, reveal a later execution, from the beginning of the Ptolemaic Period.

Castello Sforzesco

https://www.milanocastello.it/i-musei/galleria-antico-egitto/highlights/modelli-per-scultore

Fragment of the Book of the Dead of Pashed
papyrus, New Kingdom, XIX dynasty (13th-13th century BC), unknown origin (n. inv. E 0.9.40322)

The fragment of papyrus that belonged to the scribe Pashed reports in an elegant hieroglyphic the formulas for going out during the day, which Egyptologists called the Book of the Dead. Appeared at the beginning of the New Kingdom and in use until the Ptolemaic Era, the Book of the Dead consists of a series of magical-ritual formulas (192 in all) that helped the deceased to overcome the obstacles present in the journey full of dangers towards the new eternal life, in the afterlife. The formulas of the text could be written not only on the papyrus scrolls, which were placed inside the sarcophagus, but also partly on the sarcophagi, on the walls of the tomb themselves and on some of the objects of the funeral kit.

Castello Sforzesco

https://www.milanocastello.it/i-musei/galleria-antico-egitto/highlights/frammento-del-libro-dei-morti-di-pashed

Mummy Portrait of a Woman
A.D. 175–200
Unknown artist/maker
On view at Getty Villa, Gallery 210, Roman Egypt
View full record details

Romano-Egyptian funerary portrait of a woman painted in tempera (pigments suspended in animal glue) on a cedar of Lebanon panel. Although not presenting a psychological depth comparable to the best encaustic portraits, this tempera product is notable for its bright, colorful presentation characterized by a bold linearity quickly executed. Tempera is a fast-drying medium typically applied in a variety of widths and lengths of brushstrokes, and is especially evident in the construction of the eyebrows, eyelashes, and tightly wound black curls of this Antonine lady (AD 98-117).
The shape of the face is composed of a series of arcs beginning at the hairline and continuing down to the mouth and double chin accented by a dimple. The lines on the neck beneath are termed “Venus rings,” and were often used on Roman portraits to communicate the vibrant sexuality associated with that goddess. The subject wears a pink tunic of red madder to indicate her ownership of an elite purple-dyed burial garment trimmed in red ochre. The customary clavi (woven stripes) were apparently painted quickly and somewhat haphazardly, affecting the visual movement of her slightly skewed torso with its sloped shoulders. Her jewelry is distinctive: at the center of her brow is a round hair ornament to which two beads have been attached. From these dangles what is likely intended to represent a quite large pearl. She wears gold hoop earrings of some thickness and elaboration. Her necklaces are typical for the ladies of these portraits: the larger is of an unidentified woven metal with a round gold pendant. The inner necklace is made of alternating pearls and semi-precious stones: emeralds would have been appropriate for this date and are often seen in these portraits. The thick panel is smaller relative to others and has one prominent transverse crack, but is otherwise in good condition. The two plugged dowel holes at the lower edge are of unknown function.
By proof of the triangular stamp on its reverse, this portrait once belonged to the collector and dealer Theodor Graf (1840-1903), and this suggests that it was very likely found at Er-Rubayat (from whence he sourced his collection). The distinctive style of certain features, such as the mouth, eyebrows, eyes, and Venus rings on the neck are very similar to a Portrait of a Man in Vienna, Kunsthistoriches Mus3f eum Inv. x432.

Full Artwork Details
Title:
Mummy Portrait of a Woman
Artist/Maker:
Unknown
Date:
A.D. 175–200
Medium:
Tempera on wood
Dimensions:
Object: 28.2 × 14.5 cm (11 1/8 × 5 11/16 in.)
Place:
Egypt (Place Created)
Culture:
Romano-Egyptian
Object Number:
79.AP.129
Department:
Antiquities
Classification:
Painting
Object Type:
Panel

History of this Artwork

Provenance

before 1903
Theodor Graf, AustrianAustrian, 1840 - 1903(Vienna, Austria)
sold to Alfred Emerson.

before 1922 -
Alfred Emerson(Paris, France)

- 1932
Private Collection
[sold, Gemalde alter und neuer Meister : hellenistische Portrats aus dem Fayum, Miniaturen, Stiche, Skulpturen, Arbeiten in Silber und Gold..., Dorotheum Kunstabteilung, Vienna, November 24, 1932, lot 33.]

- before 1933
Flinker Collection(Vienna, Austria)

- 1942
Private Collection(New York, New York)
[sold, American Furniture, Kende Galleries, New York, September 26, 1942, lot 167, to Joseph Brummer.]

1942 - 1947
Joseph BrummerHungarian, 1883 - 1947
by inheritance to his heirs, 1947.

1947 - 1949
Estate of  Joseph BrummerHungarian, 1883 - 1947
[The notable art collection belonging to the estate of the late Joseph Brummer, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, May 11, 1949, lot 45.]

- 1964
Ernest BrummerHungarian, 1891 - 1964(New York, New York)
by inheritance to his wife, Ella Brummer, 1964.

1964 - 1979
Ella Baché Brummer
[sold, the Ernest Brummer Collection, Galerie Koller, Zurich, October 16-19, 1979, lot 4, to the J. Paul Getty Museum.]

Bibliography

Buberl, Paul. Die griechisch-ägyptischen Mumienbildnisse der Sammlung Th. Graf. Vienna: 1922, p. 55, no. 46.
Dorotheum, Vienna. Sale cat., November 24, 1932, lot 33.
Drerup, Heinrich. Die Datierung der Mumienportraets. Paderborn: 1933, pp. 47-48, 66, no. 34; pl. 20 b.
Kende Galleries, New York. Sale cat., September 26, 1942, lot 167.
Parke-Bernet, New York. Sale cat., Joseph Brummer Coll., Part II, May 11-14, 1949, p. 10, lot 45.
Hahl, Lothar. "Zur Erklaerung der niedergermanischen Matronendenkmaeler," Bonner Jahrbucher 160 (1960), pp. 9-49, p. 20, no. 55.
Parlasca, Klaus. Mumienportraets und verwandte Denkmaeler. Wiesbaden: 1966, p. 75, n. 96.
Galerie Koller, Zurich. Sale cat., The Ernest Brummer Collection, October 16-19, 1979, p. 21, no. 4.
Parlasca, Klaus. Ritratti di Mummie. Repertorio d'arte dell'Egitto greco-romano (A. Adriani, ed). 2 ser. Vol. III. (Roma : "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 1980), p. 60, no. 644; pl. 152.3.
Thompson, David L. Mummy Portraits in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Malibu: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1982), pp. 58-59, no. 12, ill.

Parlasca, Klaus. "Ein spaetroemischer bemalter Sarg aus Aegypten im J. Paul Getty Museum," Alexandria and Alexandrianism, pp. 155-169. Malibu: 1996, p. 167; fig. 6.

Borg, Barbara. Mumienportra¨ts: Chronologie und kultureller Kontext (Mainz: Ph. von Zabern, 1996), p. 47, 59, 87, 105, 168, 171, 192; pl. 74,2.
Maram, Eve. "Dialoguing with My Demon." Psychological Perspectives 59, no. 1 (2016), pp. 24, ill.
Hope, Deborah. "Pearls Found in Ancient Greek and Roman Contexts in the Mediterranean." Mediterranean Archaeology 32/33 (2019/2020), p. 92 (cat. B-IMP38).
Barr, Judith. “From All Sides: The APPEAR Project and Mummy Portrait Provenance.” In Mummy Portraits of Roman Egypt: Emerging Research from the APPEAR Project. Marie Svoboda and Caroline R. Cartwright, eds. (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2020) https://www.getty.edu/publications/mummyportraits/part-one/11/, figs. 11.2; 11.5.
The J. Paul Getty Museum. "Faces of Roman Egypt" [exh.] Published via Google Arts & Culture (2021), https://artsandculture.google.com/story/YQVRtpUvIK_TtA (acc. April 7, 2021), ill.
Leonard, Benjamin. "At Face Value." Archaeology (January/February 2022), pp. 40-1, ill.
Marlowe, Elizabeth. "The long, winding, and bumpy road: seeing museum antiquities as colonial legacies." The Routledge Handbook of Classics, Colonialism, and Postcolonial Theory. Katherine Blouin and Ben Akrigg, eds. (London: Routledge, 2025), p. 457, ill.

Exhibition

Fayum Portraits: Painted Portraits from Roman Egypt
A list of the locations of this exhibition
The J. Paul Getty Museum (Malibu)March 24, 1981 - December 1, 1997

The Getty Museum Collection

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103TQE?tab=exhibitions

Offering slab of Intef
12th Dynasty, ca. 1900 BC

During funerary rituals, offerings intended for the deceased were laid on an offering slab at the cult place in the tomb. Offerings are depicted on the top of the slab. Water poured into the small basin could flow out through the channel. The surrounding text is an offerformula that ends with the names of Intef and those of members of his family.

Time:
12th Dynasty, ca. 1900 BC

Object Name
Offering table

Culture
Egyptian

Location of discovery:
Location unknown

Material/technology:
Limestone

Dimensions:
L 32 cm, W (with sout) 28.5 cm, D 7.5 cm, W 10 kg

Copyright
Art History Museum, Egyptian - Oriental Collection

Invs.
Egyptian Collection, INV 98

Provenance
Acquired before 1824

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Pectoral amulet depicting the god Anubis

At A Glance

On View

Period
ca. 1539-1190 BCE

Geography
Egypt

Material
Faience (glazed composition)

Dimension
H x W x D: 6.6 x 8.6 x 0.8 cm (2 5/8 x 3 3/8 x 5/16 in)

Accession Number
F1907.152

EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1907.152

Object Details

Label
The central design of this amulet consists of a pair of jackals facing each other, each seated atop a shrine. The jackals represent Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of embalming, who was also the guardian of the cemetery. Above and behind each jackal are hieroglyphs giving two of the common epithets of Anubis: "Anubis who is embalmer," and "Anubis who is before the god’s place of embalming." The amulet itself is in the form of a shrine, and is pierced for suspending on a cord. Since the jackals represent Anubis, the god of mummification, this pectoral is a purely funerary type of amulet. It would have been placed on the chest of the mummy to ensure its safe passage into the next life.

Provenance
To 1907
Dikran G. Kelekian (1868-1951), Cairo, Egypt, Paris, France, and New York to 1907 [1]
From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Dikran G. Kelekian in 1907 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1581, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)
Charles Lang Freer and Egypt (June 13, 1998 to October 2, 2011)
Art of Dynastic Egypt (December 15, 1976 to September 22, 1977)

Previous custodian or owner
Dikran Garabed Kelekian (1868-1951) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Jewelry and Ornament

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt

Keep Exploring

Related Resources
collections.si.edu

Date
BCE 1000s

Name
Freer, Charles Lang, Kelekian, Dikran Garabed

Place
Egypt

Topic
Dynasty 19 (ca. 1292 - 1190 BCE), Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Faience, Ancient Egyptian Art, Anubis (Egyptian deity), Protection, New Kingdom (ca. 1539 - 1075 BCE), Dynasty 18 (ca. 1539 - 1295 BCE)

Culture
Egyptians

Object Type
Ornaments, Jewelry

On View
Yes

Relief with an offering scene
early 12th Dynasty, ca. 1980 BC

scene
Cheti and his wife stand before a richly laden table to receive offerings from their son. Between the couple are various items of funerary equipment. The fine red lines visible on the surface are traces of the grid that enabled the designer of the scene to adhere to the standard canon of proportions.

Time:
early 12th Dynasty, ca. 1980 BC

Object Name
Relief with an offering scene

Culture
Egyptian

Location of discovery:
Location unknown

Material/technology:
Painted limestone

Dimensions:
H 44 cm, W 77.2 cm, D 11.2 cm, W: 80 kg (estimated)

Copyright
Art History Museum, Egyptian - Oriental Collection

Invs
Egyptian Collection, INV 202

Provenance
1848, gift of Anton von Laurin

Kunsthistorisches Museum

https://www.khm.at/en/artworks/relief-with-an-offering-scene-317926

Cartonnage mask of a female mummy
First Quarter Second Century

Time:

1. Quarter 2. Century AD

Object Name
Mummy mask

Culture
Egyptian - Roman

Location of discovery:
Balansura (Upper Egypt)

Material/technology:
Painted stucco, linen

Dimensions:
H 40 cm, W 26 cm, D 65 cm

Copyright
Art History Museum, Egyptian - Oriental Collection

Invs.
Egyptian Collection, INV 6608

Provenance
1900 Purchase of Th. Count

Kunsthistorisches Museum

https://www.khm.at/en/artworks/kartonagemaske-einer-weiblichen-mumie-316961-1

Bowl with head of the goddess Hathor

At A Glance

On View

Period
1550-1070 BCE

Geography
Egypt

Material
Faience with manganese paint

Dimension
H x W x D: 4.5 x 15 x 15 cm (1 3/4 x 5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in)

Accession Number
F1909.145

EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1909.145

Object Details

Description
Dish: low, round, with straight sides. Clay: soft, thickly molded. Glaze: deep, greenish-blue. Decoration: Hathor head and floral motives painted in outline, in manganese, over glaze.

Label
Faience bowls with black-painted decoration were probably used to hold food or liquid offerings to the goddess Hathor, who nourished and protected the dead.

Provenance
To 1909
Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo, Egypt, to 1909 [1]
From 1909 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Maurice Nahman, Cairo, in 1909 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1984, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)
Charles Lang Freer and Egypt (June 13, 1998 to October 2, 2011)

Previous custodian or owner
Maurice Nahman (1868-1948) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Vessel

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt

Keep Exploring

Related Resources
collections.si.edu

Date
BCE 1000s
Name

Freer, Charles Lang, Nahman, Maurice

Place
Egypt

Topic
Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Faience, Ancient Egyptian Art, Hathor, New Kingdom (ca. 1539 - 1075 BCE)

Culture
Egyptians

Object Type
Vessels (containers)

On View
Yes

The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1909.145/

Amulet of Isis with Horus-Child

At A Glance

On View

Period
664-332 BCE or later

Geography
Egypt

Material
Faience (glazed composition)

Dimension
H x W x D: 3 x 1.4 x 1.1 cm (1 3/16 x 9/16 x 7/16 in)

Accession Number
F1907.19

EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1907.19

Object Details

Provenance
To 1907
Unidentified owner, Egypt, to 1907 [1]
From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased in Egypt from an unidentified owner in 1907 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1839, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)

Previous custodian or owner
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Jewelry and Ornament

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt

Keep Exploring

Related Resources
collections.si.edu

Date
BCE 0s

Name
Freer, Charles Lang

Place
Egypt

Topic
Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Horus, Saite Dynasty 26 (664 - 525 BCE), Faience, Ancient Egyptian Art, Hathor, Children, Woman, Protection

Culture
Egyptians

Object Type
Ornaments, Jewelry

On View
Yes

The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1907.19/

Amulet in the form of a porcupine

At A Glance

On View

Period
664-525 BCE

Geography
Egypt

Material
Clay

Dimension
H x W x D: 0.6 x 0.7 x 1.2 cm (1/4 x 1/4 x 1/2 in)

Accession Number
F1908.74

EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1908.74

Object Details

Description
A procupine, in miniature.
Clay: fine, dense.
Glaze: light glaze.
Contains inscription.

Inscriptions
Inscription on under side of the base.

Provenance
To 1908
Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo, Egypt, to 1908 [1]
From 1908 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Maurice Nahman, Cairo, in 1908 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1698, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)

Previous custodian or owner
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Jewelry and Ornament

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt

The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1908.74/

Amulet

At A Glance

On View

Period
1196-1070 BCE

Geography
Egypt

Material
Glazed clay

Dimension
H x W x D: 2.3 x 1.1 x 0.4 cm (7/8 x 7/16 x 3/16 in)

Accession Number
F1907.25

EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1907.25

Object Details

Provenance
To 1907
Unidentified owner, Egypt, to 1907
From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased in Egypt from an unidentified owner in 1907
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920

Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1845, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2026)

Previous custodian or owner
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Origin
Egypt

Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Type
Jewelry and Ornament

On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer Gallery

Keep Exploring

Related Resources
collections.si.edu

Date
BCE 1000s

Name
Freer, Charles Lang

Place
Egypt

Topic
Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Ancient Egyptian Art, Ceramics, Protection, New Kingdom (ca. 1539 - 1075 BCE)

Culture
Egyptians

Object Type
Ornaments, Jewelry

On View
Yes
Explore

Stela Bes Pantee Magical Relief
Egyptian

Object Label
Although the winged god with a lion’s face and legs resembles Bes, this image is a composite of several forces represented by the multiple animal heads on the god’s crown. This multifaceted feline divinity stands over bound captives and animals symbolizing chaos—scorpion, turtle, and, apparently, a lion—because they inhabit the dangerous desert or marshes. The god’s power over chaos suggests hisprotective function.

Originally, water flowed through the opening at the bottom of the stela, providing magical security, curing ailments and preventing harm.

Captain
Egyptian. Magical Relief, 305–30 B.C.E.. Limestone, 31 1/2 x 25 1/2 x 5 in., 238 lb. (80 x 64.8 x 12.7 cm, 107.96kg) with mount: 322 lb. (146.06kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.229. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Culture
Egyptian

Title
Magical Relief

Date
305–30 B.C.E.

Period
Ptolemaic Period

Geography

Place made: Egypt

Medium
Limestone

Classification
Sculpture

Dimensions
31 1/2 x 25 1/2 x 5 in., 238 lb. (80 x 64.8 x 12.7 cm, 107.96kg) with mount: 322 lb.
(146.06kg)

Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number

37.229

Catalogue description
Soft limestone stela. The central portion of the piece is occupied by a large four-handed figure of the god Bes. He wears a high crown decorated with various animal heads. His two upper hands support figures which occupy the upper corner of the stela, the left figure being a cynocephalus ape, the right an ibis, emblems of the god Thoth. Behind the body of the god are elongated figures which may be conventionalized serpents. At the feet of Bes are two bound captives. Below these figures is a register with three bound and kneeling captives at each end, the intervening space being filled by three animal figures which appear to be a lobster, crab, and a lion-like animal. There is a semi-circular opening in the middle of this register. It probably served a magical purpose in guarding Egypt from the foreign invaders depicted in the captive figures. The workmanship is good.

Condition: The limestone is extremely soft and is chipping in various places. The base of the piece is badly weathered and there are numerous chips, the head of the ibis being badly chipped.

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.

The Brooklyn Museum

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/47426

Head of a statue of the Ba-ba-ef

Early 5. Dynasty, around 2500 BC

This head was found in the rubble north of the Mastaba of the Ba-ba-ef in Giza and originally came from the north of the two external statue houses east of the Mastaba, which served to store the numerous statues of the grave lord. The two statue houses of the Ba-ba-ef each consisted of a transverse corridor and four longitudinal statue chambers. The looting of the tomb and the statue houses scattered the partially damaged statues in the vicinity of the Mastaba. The lord of the grave is reproduced in this statue with a short lock wig. However, with the example shown here, the ears remain free and the locks are also close to the head at the back of the head. This hairstyle type is very rarely documented in the Old Kingdom. The round face has numerous damages, unfortunately the eyes inserted from another material have also been lost.

Time:
Early 5. Dynasty, around 2500 BC.

Object Name
Statue

Culture
Egyptian

Location of discovery:
Giza, Mastaba of the Ba-ba-ef (G. 5230), rubble of the North Wall

Material/technology:
Calcite, very bright

Dimensions:
H 13.3 cm, W 11 cm, D 12 cm, L: 2.2 kg (with base G 3.3 kg)

Copyright
Art History Museum, Egyptian - Oriental Collection

Invs
Egyptian Collection, INV 7786

Provenance
1914 Gift of the Academy of Sciences in Vienna from the excavation of H. Junker in Giza 1914

Kunsthistorisches Museum

https://www.khm.at/en/artworks/kopf-einer-statue-des-ba-ba-ef-316636-1

Bust from a statue of King Amenemhet V Sekhemkare
13th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhet V Sekhemkare, 1783-1780 BC

Only in 1986 was it discovered that this bust belonged to a statue of a king with an inscription identifying the subject as a king of the 13th Dynasty. The pharaoh wears the royal nemes head-cloth; the brow band belonging to it was probably added in paint. The uraeus serpent above the forehead has been knocked off.

Time:
13th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhet V Sekhemkare, 1783-1780 BC

Dimensions:
H 35,7 cm, H (inkl. Support) 37,0 cm, B 17,5 cm, T ca. 20 cm, G (gesamt) 12,14 kg
Gips-Support: H 16,6 cm, B 9 cm, T 9,2 cm

Object Name
Statue

Culture
Ägyptisch

Location of discovery:
Elephantine (vermutlich)

Material/technology:
Siltstone

Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Ägyptisch - Orientalische Sammlung

Invs.
Ägyptische Sammlung, INV 37

Provenance
Acquired before 1824

Faience djed-pillar

Accession Number
AB3

Current Location
House of Death (ground floor), Amulets case, Shelf 2

Object Type
Jewellery, Amulet

Period
Late Period

Dynasty
Twenty-sixth Dynasty

Material
Faience

Provenance
Egypt, Abydos

Weight (grams)
2 grams.

Number of Elements
1

Measurements
Height: 28mm | Width: 12mm | Depth: 8mm

Description
This is a faience djed-pillar amulet, which Margaret Murray dated to the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. The djed-pillar was said to be the backbone of Osiris. The word in Egyptian means 'to be enduring'. The djed-pillar is a common amulet from the Old Kingdom. This examples is probably from Abydos. The object was gifted to the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by John Bancroft Willans, a subscriber of the Egypt Exploration Fund/Society, who received the object in 1903. It was subsequently gifted to the Egypt Centre in 1997.

Bibliography
Andrews, Carol 1994. Amulets of ancient Egypt. London: The British Museum Press.

Other Identity
17 (Margaret Murray list)

Previous Owners
Egypt Exploration Society | John Bancroft Willans (1881–1957) | Aberystwyth University

Acquisition
Gift, Aberystwyth University (24 Mar 1997)

Last modified: 27 Mar 2026

Mummy Mask
332 BC - 30 BC

1973.2.419

On display

World Museum

Information
Gilded cartonnage mummy mask in a fragmentary state but beautifully detailed. The face is gilded, as is some detail on the decoration, the facial features painted in black. On the crown of the head is a magnificent representation of the vulture goddess Nekhbet, her wings are outstretched and patterned. The body is detailed with a stippled pattern. There is a pattern of red and blue rosettes in a band across the back of the headdress.

CONDITION NOTE 1998: Incomplete, old insect damage, very fragmentary, large areas of loss, loose frags., flaking and lifting dec., poorly supported with tissue and wadding, label adhered, cracked, surface dirt. Conserved for display in 2017.

Circular auction sticker stuck to left part of wig annotated with pencil numbers 629/7. Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 29 June 1922 (MacGregor Collection) Lot 629: Five painted wood Fragments from mummy-cases, all of later period, one with a long inscription relating to a priest of Osiris; also two gilded Cartonnage Heads from mummy-cases, one in very damaged condition, the other well preserved.

Specifications

Accession number
1973.2.419

Collection type
Religion

Culture
Ptolemaic

Place made
Africa: Northern Africa: Egypt

Date made
332 BC - 30 BC

Collector
William MacGregor

Place collected
Africa: Northern Africa: Egypt

Date collected
1922 before

Materials
Gold; Paint; Cartonnage

Measurements
Overall: 405 mm x 245 mm x 177 mm

Credit line
Gift of the Trustees of the Wellcome Collection

Legal status
Permanent collection

Provenance
Henry Solomon Wellcome, Previous owner, Purchased, Owned from: 1922-06-29, Donation, Owned until: 1936-06-25

Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, Donor, From Henry Solomon Wellcome, Owned from: 1922-06-29, Donation, Owned until: 1971

Sotheby's, Auction House, Commissioned, Sold, Owned until: 1922-06-29

MacGregor, William, Previous owner, Purchased, Sold, Owned until: 1922-06-29

Location
On display: World Museum, Level 3, Ancient Egypt Gallery

Publications
Catalogue of the MacGregor Collection of Egyptian Antiquities (Sotheby's 26 June - 6 July 1922), Sotheby's (Percy Newberry), 1922, Page: 81 [629]

Egyptian Treasures in Europe volume 4: National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, Liverpool, Dirk van der Plas (ed), 2001, Page: 1973.2.419

"The Early Egyptian and Sudanese Collections of Sir Henry Wellcome", in: African Arts, vol. 58, no. 1 (Spring 2025) pp. 44-63, Kenneth Griffin, 2025

National Museums Liverpool

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/mummy-mask-0