Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Model of a Bull

ca. 1075–332 B.C.E.

1 of 3

Object Label

This linen model of a bull encloses a single bone, perhaps bovine. Votive mummies could contain only part of the animal. Often, elaborate wrappings seem to substitute for the animal itself.

Caption

Model of a Bull, ca. 1075–332 B.C.E.. Reeds, cloth, animal remains (one bone, species unclear), 6 3/4 × 2 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (17.1 × 7 × 24.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1381E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Model of a Bull

Date

ca. 1075–332 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 21 to Dynasty 30

Period

Third Intermediate Period or Late Period

Geography

Place made: Egypt

Medium

Reeds, cloth, animal remains (one bone, species unclear)

Classification

Funerary Object

Dimensions

6 3/4 × 2 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (17.1 × 7 × 24.8 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

37.1381E

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. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Can you give me more info on the Model of a Bull?

    The main point of interest with that object is that the single bone could stand for the whole animal. Bulls, of course, are very large so the bull-shaped bundle was much more practical. The bull was actually one of the most important animals in Egyptian mythology. One sacred bull, the Apis bull, lived in the temple of Ptah and was thought to be a manifestation of the god. When the Apis bull died, a new one was sought out. They were identified by their unique markings including a white spot on the forehead.

  • Tell me more.

    This animal mummy actually only contains a single bone, that is possibly but not definitely from a bull. The elaborate shape of the wrapping was done in order to compensate for the lack of real animal remains.
    Bulls and cows in ancient Egypt were commonly used for food and as beasts of burden, but their strength and fertility also became associated with royal power.

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