Plaque

Sandal Ivory Label of King Den, MacGregor plaque

Sandal Ivory Label of King Den Striking Down Asiatic Tribesman

This ivory label originally attached to a pair of royal sandals, found at his tomb in Abydos, showing the king Den with an upraised mace, about to strike a captive. The king’s name is written before him in a Serekh, in the center of the top of the label. The king wears a bull’s tail,...

Relief plaque depicting a Ram

Relief plaque depicting a Ram

Stone relief plaque depicting a Ram, representation of god Amun, or of Banebdjedet of Mendes. The two sets of horns on this exemplary portrayal of a ram reflect ancient Egyptian sculptors’ simultaneous close observation of nature and strict adherence to artistic tradition. The elongated corkscrew horns atop the ram’s head belong to a species that...

Relief Plaque of Cobra on a Neb Basket

Relief Plaque of Cobra on a Neb Basket

This relief depicts the cobra on a neb basket from the king’s Two Ladies name. Small Late Period and Ptolemaic reliefs or sculptures that depict a subject in a partial or unfinished way but are themselves finished objects constitute a special class of object. Guidelines like those for artists are often prominently exhibited as part...

Plaque of Amenhotep III flanked by two uraei. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 30.8.334

Plaque of Amenhotep III flanked by two uraei

On this piece the uraeus cobra functions as the protector of the royal name, the name of king Amenhotep III “The Lord of Maat is Re” is in the center of the plaque. The top and center part of the inscription is written twice and the direction of the hieroglyphs was reversed. Only the very...

Mummy plaque of Queen Duathathor-Henuttawy

Mummy Plaque of Queen Henuttawy

This golden mummy plaque covered an incision in the abdomen of queen Henuttawy caused by embalmers removing her internal organs during mummification. The plaque was supposed to restore the body to its original state of strength as the wound was considered to be vulnerable and a possible entry point for negative forces. It is decorated...

Plaque of a princess eating a roasted duck

Plaque of a princess eating a roasted duck

In this sculptor’s model plaque, the princess is biting into a duckling held in her right hand, while reaching with her left hand for fresh fruits and vegetables placed on a table in front of her. The artist had begun to carve the lower part of the body and the cushion on which the princess...

Relief Plaque with Ram’s Head from a God’s Figure

Relief Plaque with Ram Head from a God Figure

Reliefs like this ram plaque depict a subject in a partial or unfinished way but are themselves complete objects that constitute a special class of object. Guidelines like those for artists are often prominently exhibited as part of the object, although, in fact, many instances can be noted where the object simply could not serve...

Mummy Plaque of King Psusennes I

Mummy Plaque of Psusennes I

This plaque, or thin plate, was placed on the mummy of king Psusennes I over the incision made in the lower abdomen to remove the internal organs. The plate was intended to heal and form a scar over the incision. In the center of the plate, there is a sacred wadjet eye flanked by the Four Sons...

Plaque of a Woman Giving Birth. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 40627

Plaque of a Woman Giving Birth

This plaque depicts a woman giving birth on the birthing-chair, being assisted by two women with Hathor heads and crowns; the Hathor crown consists of two horns with the sun disk between them and tall plumes. The figures of the women are rendered in frontal view, and are nearly three-dimensional. They are carved in sunken-relief,...