Brooklyn Museum: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: King with Sistra (Rattles) before Hathor

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King with Sistra (Rattles) before Hathor

Music could appease deities, including goddesses. Here, in a setting of the world bounded by hieroglyphs for earth and heaven, a king as dutiful son stands with sistra before one form of "his mother," the goddess Hathor. As is characteristic of Egyptian goddesses, she holds a papyrus scepter, a symbol of vigor and renewal, and grants the king the "lifetime of Re" and "the years of Atum," meaning eternal life.

Medium: Basalt
Place Made: Egypt
Dates: 3rd century B.C.E.
Period: Ptolemaic Period
Dimensions: 7 3/4 x 8 11/16 in. (19.7 x 22 cm)
Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Temples and Tombs, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Accession Number: 62.46
Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Image: Overall, 62.46_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

Catalogue Description: Grey basalt relief fragment. In sunk relief, within conventional representation of sky and supports, a king at right presents pair of sistra to Hathor standing and clasping staff and ankh sign. Three columns of incised inscription. Condition: Good. Some surface scratches at right side.

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: King with Sistra (Rattles) before Hathor