Fragment of a bekhen sistrum with the face of the goddess Hathor
Fragment of a bekhen sistrum with the face of the goddess Hathor
Fragment of a bekhen sistrum with the face of the goddess Hathor
Fragment of a bekhen sistrum with the face of the goddess Hathor

On view

Ancient Mediterranean Art

Fragment of a bekhen sistrum with the face of the goddess Hathor,

664–525 BCE

Egyptian
Late Period, likely 26th Dynasty (Saite), ca. 688–525 BCE, ca. 712–332 BCE
y1989-47

The goddess Hathor has been incorporated here into the body of a bekhen sistrum, a percussion instrument similar to a rattle. The top portion, now lost, consisted of a monumental doorway, between which were suspended small metal discs that would clink and clack together to produce sound. The structure was in turn superimposed upon this support, which has a head of the goddess on both sides. A performer would hold the handle and shake it back and forth, activating the metal discs, as can be seen in the tomb painting just above. The Egyptian name for the instrument, sesheshet, was also the term for the sounds it created, understood as the sounds of dried reeds rustling against each other as Hathor, in either her anthropomorphic or bovine form, walked through them. The entire instrument is made of blue or green faience, making it both a visually and sonically powerful object.

Comparative image: Egypt, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, (ca. 1365 BCE), Fragment of two princesses with sistra. Egyptian Museum, Berlin (inv. no. 18526). Photo: Andreas Praefcke

Information

Title
Fragment of a bekhen sistrum with the face of the goddess Hathor
Dates

664–525 BCE

Medium
Faience
Dimensions
12.4 x 6.2 x 2.3 cm (4 7/8 x 2 7/16 x 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Fernando Camilo
Object Number
y1989-47
Place Made

Africa, Egypt

Inscription
Inscribed on columnar handle: Pedi-?-Hor son of Ta-di-ipet;
Culture
Egyptian (ancient)
Period
Late period (Egyptian), Twenty-sixth Dynasty
Type
faience, sistra
Materials
faience
Subject
Janus-faced, mythology, scale pattern, goddesses, hieroglyphics, symbols of office

Given to the Museum by Fernando Camilo in 1989

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