This amulet is the head of a jackal. He holds a whip and crook, and is kneeling with snakes before his knees. He has the tail of a bird.For the latest information about this object, amulets; pendants; amulet-pendants, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: Inscriptions: Reign: Style:
This well modeled bull of pale green faience has a rib cage and mane indicated by an incision. The horns and probably the disk which marked him as the holy Apis bull have broken off. Suspension loop on the back.For the latest information about this object, pendants; amulets; figurines, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: 26th-30th DynastyInscriptions: Reign: Style:
A cast silver pendant representing the holy Apis bull, who wears a sun disk with "uraeus" between his horns. Incised lines mark the characteristic triangle on the forehead, wide necklaces and saddle cloth. The bull stands on a kind of sled, which divides in two and turns up in front. The combination of the bull with a sled indicates that the statue of the holy Apis bull is represented and not the divine living bull itself. There is a loop behind the neck to use the statuette as a pendant. The surface of the metal has deteriorated. The right rear leg is broken off and the fore legs both have a crack which goes through the whole material.For the latest information about this object, amulets; pendants; amulet-pendants, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: 13th DynastyInscriptions: Reign: Style:
Apis, a bull, was a living manifestation of the creator-god Ptah and closely related to the rituals for the king. Apis was associated with divine resurrection and the protection of the king. A living bull was selected by the priests of Ptah at Memphis, the center of the cult, and was worshiped in connection with royal coronations and funerary rituals. The image shows the bull crowned with a sun disk (associating him with the sun-god Re) and the Uraeus, the sacred cobra (a symbol of kingship). He is also adorned with a collar around the neck and an elaborate cloth on his back, two elements which are characteristic for the Apis bull.For the latest information about this object, statuettes (statues), visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: 26th-27th DynastyInscriptions: Reign: Style:
Ptolemy I (ca. 367-283 BCE) was a Macedonian general in Alexander the Great's army and the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. This relief probably decorated the curved armrest of a bed or other piece of furniture. Ptolemaic rulers were viewed as divine by their Egyptian subjects. They often chose to portray themselves to their Greek subjects in the guise of figures from Greek mythology, such as the Greek wine-god, Dionysus.For the latest information about this object, busts; figurines, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: Ptolemaic DynastyInscriptions: Reign: Style:
This plaque was used as an attachment for a piece of furniture or a box. The head of the lion is carefully molded, and the structure of the mane incised. Lions were connected to the king, and were also a manifestation of the horizon.For the latest information about this object, figurines; plaques, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: 30th DynastyInscriptions: Reign: Style:
This fearsome-looking cheetah is an example of Islamic animal bronzes made for use as incense burners, fountain fixtures, or pouring vessels (called aquamanilia). Trained cheetahs were favorite hunting animals in the Islamic world, especially at royal courts. This motif was emulated by the Christian kings of Sicily, who featured felines in the decoration of their palaces. Objects like this aquamanile also inspired artists in Germany and other parts of northern Europe, beginning in the 12th century.For the latest information about this object, aquamaniles, visit art.thewalters.org.Dynasty: Inscriptions: Reign: Style: Romanesque