Falcon-Headed Sphinx
ca. 525–30 B.C.E.
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Caption
Falcon-Headed Sphinx, ca. 525–30 B.C.E.. Glass, 1 1/8 x 3/16 x 2 1/4 in. (2.9 x 0.5 x 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1235E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Falcon-Headed Sphinx
Date
ca. 525–30 B.C.E.
Period
Persian Period to Ptolemaic Period
Geography
Reportedly from: Saqqara, Egypt
Medium
Glass
Classification
Dimensions
1 1/8 x 3/16 x 2 1/4 in. (2.9 x 0.5 x 5.7 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.1235E
Frequent Art Questions
What were these used for?
These are inlays, they would have been set into surfaces (like on a wall or on a coffin) as decoration.The falcon head, though, is actually from a piece of jewelry! You can tell because it is rimmed in gold unlike the others.It's a terminal for a broad collar (there is a big blue broad collar on view at the other end of the gallery). Attached at the bottom, would have been the beads, and above its head would have been the clasp or closure for the necklace.Thanks!
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