Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief

ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later

1 of 2

Caption

Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief, ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later. Gold, 1 × 5/8 × 1/16 in. (2.5 × 1.6 × 0.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.810E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.810E_PS4.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief

Date

ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later

Dynasty

Dynasty 26, or later

Period

Late Period

Geography

Reportedly from: Saqqara, Egypt

Medium

Gold

Classification

Accessory

Dimensions

1 × 5/8 × 1/16 in. (2.5 × 1.6 × 0.2 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

37.810E

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • More explanation!

    This tiny plaque with the image of Hathor was likely threaded into a piece of jewelry and worn as a type of amulet. We can tell that it is Hathor because she has the body of a woman, but the head of a cow.
    If you look closely, you can also see the suggestion of a "was" scepter in her left hand, and an ankh in the right hand reinforcing that this is, in fact, a deity.
    Hathor was a fertility goddess related to both fertility of the earth and to sexual love.
    Incredible.
    Indeed! You may have also noticed that this object is made of gold, amazingly, gold does not tarnish so this tiny plaque has always appeared this brilliant!
    Sensational.

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