Lion-headed Goddess with Sun Disk
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
MEDIUM
Gold
DATES
332–30 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 26
PERIOD
Ptolemaic Period
DIMENSIONS
15/16 x 13/16 x 1/4 in. (2.4 x 2.1 x 0.7 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
16.322
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Small gold pectoral surmounted by lion head presumably Bast or Sakhmet. Head surmounted by large sun disk. Suspension loop on back of sun disk.
Condition: Sun disk broken. Edges of pectoral broken. Gold seems to have considerable alloy.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Lion-headed Goddess with Sun Disk, 332–30 B.C.E. Gold, 15/16 x 13/16 x 1/4 in. (2.4 x 2.1 x 0.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.322. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 16.322_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 16.322_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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we welcome any additional information you might have.
The label says that this is a "lion-headed goddess with Sun Disk." What exactly is a 'sun disk?'
Good question! A 'sun disk' is simply a circle that is understood to represent the sun and all that the sun itself is associated with. The sun was the most important symbol in Ancient Egyptian beliefs. It's associated with Re, the sun god, and with the daily renewal of life. The red or orange circular image above figures heads represents the sun. There were a multitude of gods associated with the sun and Re was one of the most powerful deities in the Egyptian pantheon.
