Object Details
Description
An Inlay: a hawk headed deity figure, (Ra). Broken and mended. Moulded, with a section of rod inlay. Dark blue, semi-translucent glass; opaque white and red, and translucent green.
Label
From the New Kingdom (ca. 1539-1075 B.C.E.) onward, Egyptian artisans used glass to fashion small objects such as jewelry, amulets, and miniatures. They also combined glass with other materials, often metal or wood. Colored glass inlays formed in molds adorned a variety of objects, including jewelry, furniture, and coffins.
This inlay is made in the form of Qebehsenuef, one of the mythological four sons of the god Horus; he was typically depicted with the head of a falcon on a mummiform human body. This inlay was most likely used on a coffin; the four sons of Horus protected the internal organs of the deceased and their images were often depicted on the canopic jars in which mummified organs were stored. Qebehsenuef specifically watched over the lungs.
Provenance
To 1909
Giovanni Dattari (circa 1858-1923), Cairo, Egypt, to 1909 [1]
From 1909 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Giovanni Dattari in 1909 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See S.I. 189, Miscellaneous List, Egyptian Glass, pgs. 1 and 34, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. This piece is part of a collection of glass that was purchased en bloc and includes 1,388 specimens (for further purchase information, see the folder for F1909.332).
[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
Falcons: The Art of the Hunt (January 15 to July 17, 2022)
Charles Lang Freer and Egypt (June 13, 1998 to October 2, 2011)
Previous custodian or owner
Giovanni Dattari (1858-1923) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
332-30 BCE
Period
Ptolemaic Dynasty
Accession Number
F1909.744
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Jewelry and Ornament
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H (overall): 7 cm (2 3/4 in)
Origin
Egypt
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
molding
mosaic glass
glass
falcon
Ptolemaic Dynasty (305 - 30 BCE)
Egypt
Horus
Ancient Egyptian Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1909.744