Throughout the Bronze Age, Egyptian culture strongly influenced the peoples of ancient Palestine, including the Philistines. Among the many customs borrowed from Egypt was  More »

Throughout the Bronze Age, Egyptian culture strongly influenced the peoples of ancient Palestine, including the Philistines. Among the many customs borrowed from Egypt was the tradition of burying deceased individuals of high rank in coffins modeled after the human form. Most probably, those interred in this fashion were Philistine aristocrats who emulated Egyptian ways, though it is possible that they might have been provincial officials of the Egyptian kingdom. This rare and magnificent terracotta mask, a fragment of a full-sized casket, depicts the face of man who stares back at us from beyond the grave. Although his features reveal the influence of Egyptian mummy cases, the high headdress suggests that this coffin is of Philistine origin. The modeling and painting are lively and quick, a local variation of the more refined Egyptian style. This bold expressionism gives the fragment a vital presence. Though the portrait is hardly an accurate one, it conveys the energy of a real human life, an energy still felt thousand of years later. - (X.0382)   « Less

Egyptian Wooden Funerary Mask - EM.003 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period

Egyptian Wooden Funerary Mask - EM.003 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period   « Less

Bronze Sculpture of Anubis - FF.071 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 5.10" (13.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: late Kingdom Medium:  More »

Bronze Sculpture of Anubis - FF.071 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 5.10" (13.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: late Kingdom Medium: Bronze   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This charming little  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This charming little vessel, combining a pilgrim flask and an amphora, is of a type that became popular in Egypt during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep III. Its exact function is unknown, but the vessel was very possibly used for cosmetics. Oil might have been stored in the flask and a dry powder, such as ground malachite, in the jar. When the two were mixed they formed a paste to adorn the eyelids. Its delicate, arching handle balances perfectly on the end of a finger. We can easily imagine some great beauty of Egypt's Golden Age enhancing the dark luster of her eyes as she readied herself for a banquet. When our fingers rest where ancient ones did so long ago, we are linked directly to that vanished time. - (PF.1091)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 750 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 24.5" (62.2cm) high x 14.75" (37.5cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Period Medium: Wood,  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 750 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 24.5" (62.2cm) high x 14.75" (37.5cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Period Medium: Wood, Paint The multiplicity of gods in the Ancient Egyptian pantheon frequently resulted in the merger of the identities of the different gods into one composite deity. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris is one such syncretic deity, combining the attributes of the three gods after whom he is named. Ptah, the creator god, is regarded as one of the greatest deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Ancient inscriptions describe him as “creator of the earth, father of the gods and all the being of this earth, father of beginnings.” He was regarded as the patron of metalworkers and artisans (possibly due to the fact that he was believed to fashion the bodies of humans for the afterlife) and as a mighty healer and is usually represented as a mummy. The main center of his worship was in Memphis. Sokar, the “Adorned One,” was depicted in the form of an hawk-headed mummified man. Lord of darkness and death (in the sense of inertia), he presided over the Memphis necropolis and was sometimes viewed as an alternate form of Ptah before their identities were combined. By the end of the New Kingdom, the composite Ptah-Sokar had merged with yet another deity, Osiris, god of fertility, king of the dead, and ruler of eternity. The legend of Osiris states that his brother Seth, overcome by jealousy, murdered him and tore his body into fourteen parts, scattering them across Egypt. Isis, the faithful wife of Osiris, traversed the land and gathered all the parts of his body. She then cast a spell that resurrected her deceased husband for one night, during which their child, Horus, was conceived. Thus, Osiris was the central figure of Egyptian religion, the god who had triumphed over death and therefore offered the hope of rebirth and resurrection to all men.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1 st Century AD to 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 9.625" (24.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Plaster, Glass Our portrait  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1 st Century AD to 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 9.625" (24.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Plaster, Glass Our portrait head depicts a young man in the prime of his life. His hair is arranged in a style fashionable among Roman aristocrats in during the first half of the first century AD, at which time Egypt was administered by agents of the Roman emperors. His facial features are rendered in an idealizing manner so that he might be able to spend eternity in perfect health. His skin tones are rendered in a light-brownish hue. His mouth is small with a slightly fleshier lower lip, his nose thin-bridged, his eyes brows, plastically rendered as paint stripes and painted black, as are the horizontally arranged rows of tight curls of his hair. His large, almond-shaped eyes are inlaid with glass and sparkle in a manner that imbues the face with a life-like, realistic quality which is enhanced by the presence of painted eye lashes. Objects such as our portrait were placed over the heads of mummies of elite members of Egypt’s aristocracy during the Roman Imperial Period. These individuals may have been highly placed members of the bureaucracy of the time, and proclaimed their allegiance to Rome by their dress and coiffures. Such Egyptian creations find their closest parallels in Roman portraits in marble of the period, and are to be considered as belonging to that rich tradition of Roman portraiture.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.125" (7.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Vellum The term  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.125" (7.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Vellum The term "Copt" originally referred to the native Egyptians, as opposed to the Greek or Arab invaders. While later "Copt" became a religious designation referring to Christian Egyptians, the Coptic period is defined as the first millennium of the Christian era, when Christianity thrived in Egypt. Ideally situation at the join of three continents, Coptic artists drew inspiration from the many influences: the forms and motifs of ancient Egypt, classical and Hellenistic Greece and Rome, Near Eastern art; and contemporary life in the Nile Valley. Although Coptic art is generally associated with Christianity, many of its motifs are distinctly non-Christian, such as Bacchanal scenes, pastoral compositions inspired by classical poetry, and groups of nereids and maenads frequently represented on textiles. The style of Coptic art evolved from the late antique art of Egypt, retaining Greek and Roman influences. Economic conditions doubtless played a major role in the emergence of a freer, more popular style of art; the lack of an extensive patronage system is evident in many aspects of Coptic art, the emphasis on more personal, less monumental art, the avoidance of costly materials, and the dearth of skilled craftsmen with extensive training among them. The stylistic tendencies of Coptic art move away from a naturalistic rendering of the human form and features. Outline and detail are simplified, and the number of motifs is limited.   « Less

Coptic textile fragment - sp.024 Origin: Egypt Circa: 300 AD to 600 AD Collection: Coptic Medium: Textile

Coptic textile fragment - sp.024 Origin: Egypt Circa: 300 AD to 600 AD Collection: Coptic Medium: Textile   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1500 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 2.80" (7.1cm) high x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Wood and  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1500 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 2.80" (7.1cm) high x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Wood and Paint For ancient Egyptians, appearance was an important issue. Appearance indicated a person’s status, role in a society or political significance. Like modern hairstyles, Egyptian hairstyles varied over time. During the Old Kingdom, hair was usually worn short. Some shaved their heads and then wore a wig when going to social events or for protection from the sun. During the New Kingdom Period, the style was to wear the hair longer and sometimes braided. Children’s heads were shaved, except for a braid on the left side, until they hit puberty. Combs of the New Kingdom were either single or double-sided and made from wood or bone. The hot dry atmosphere in Egypt helps to preserve wood that was normally imported from other countries. Traces of red paint are still visible on this comb. Some of them were finely made with long grips. Combs have been found among early tomb goods, even those dating from Predynastic times. This comb may have been part of a funeral equipment. - (BF.125)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 4.25" (10.8cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide x .75" (1.9cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 4.25" (10.8cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide x .75" (1.9cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of Ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of the Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the two hoes clutched in the hands recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means “the answerer.” The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: “O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here.” The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in a given tomb; but by the New Kingdom, the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased rather than as a substitute, and many might be found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal, and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVI Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (CK.0147)   « Less