On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Ovoid jar with Hathor cow and papyrus,
1350–1334 BCE
Egyptian
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, Amarna Period, ca. 1550–1070 BCE
y1952-87
This slender vase represents an abstracted female figure with a modeled face at the rim, topped by a heavy wig. Two small mounds below the shoulder of the vessel are likely intended to indicate breasts. The body of the vessel is decorated with flowering plants, a leaping bull, and two cows with lotus flowers hanging from their necks and wearing a solar disc between their horns. The cows probably depict the goddess Hathor, who often wears a similar solar disc headdress and appears as a cow in her fully animal form.
Information
Title
Ovoid jar with Hathor cow and papyrus
Dates
1350–1334 BCE
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
h. 36.2 cm, diam. 13.3 cm (14 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Object Number
y1952-87
Place Collected
Egypt, Giza, Saqqara
Culture
Period
Subject
Purchased from M. Komor, New York, in 1952
- L. Keimer, "The decoration of a New Kingdom vase", Journal of Near Eastern studies 8, no. 1 (Jan., 1949): p. 1-5., p. 1-5
- F. F. Jones and R. Goldberg, Ancient art in the Art Museum: Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1960)., p. 22; p. 23 (illus.)
-
Egypt's golden age, the art of living in the New Kingdom, 1558-1085 B.C., (Boston, MA: Museum of Fine Arts, 1982).
, cat. no. 69 - Colin Hope, Egyptian pottery, (Aylesbury, UK: Shire Publications, 1987)., p. 41; fig. 49
