Bead with Name of King Amenemhat

Arts of Africa

Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, about 1985–1777 BCE

Egyptian

Carved from carnelian, this spherical bead is incised with a cartouche, a protective ring that encircled a king’s name in ancient Egyptian writing. The small hieroglyphs written from right to left inside this cartouche read “Amenemhat,” a name that means “[the god] Amun is in front.” Many ancient Egyptians had multipart names that incorporated a god or goddess’s name, sometimes indicating a personal affinity with them. This bead names one of four kings who bore the name Amenemhat during Egypt’s 12th Dynasty (about 1985–1773 BCE). It has a gold cap at the top and bottom along with a suspension loop so that it can be strung and worn as part of a necklace or other jewelry.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Ancient Egyptian
Title: Bead with Name of King Amenemhat
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.: c. 1985 BCE–1777 BCE
Medium: Carnelian and gold
Inscriptions: Amenemhat
Dimensions: 1.9 × 1.4 × 1.4 cm (3/4 × 9/16 × 9/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
Reference Number: 1892.23
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/592/manifest.json

Thomas George Allen, A Handbook of the Egyptian Collection (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1923), p. 113.

Émile Brugsch (1842-1930), Bulaq Museum and Egyptian Antiquities Service, Cairo; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1892; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1892.

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