Amulet of the Goddess Sekhmet

Arts of Africa

Third Intermediate Period (about 1069–664 BCE)

Egyptian

The lioness Sekhmet and the cat Bastet were regarded as being the wild and tame aspects, respectively, of the same unpredictable goddess. Bastet is shown seated, holding her rattle (sistrum) that made music that calmed Sekhmet, transforming her into a gentle cat.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Artist: Ancient Egyptian
Title: Amulet of the Goddess Sekhmet
Place: Egypt (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1070 BCE–664 BCE
Medium: Faience
Inscriptions: sign of "life" incised on rear of openwork throne
Dimensions: 5.7 × 1.8 × 3.5 cm (2 1/4 × 3/4 × 1 7/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Norman W. Harris
Reference Number: 1892.51
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/135831/manifest.json

Thomas George Allen, A Handbook of the Egyptian Collection (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1923), p. 131.

Art Institute of Chicago, When the Greeks Ruled: Egypt After Alexander the Great, October 31, 2013 - July 27, 2014.

Panayotis Kyticas (d. 1924), Cairo; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1892; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1892.

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