Photo of collection object Ritual Object — Ritual Object, ca. 664-30 B.C.E.. Faience, 4 1/16 x 2 1/4 x 1 11/16 in. (10.3 x 5.7 x 4.3 cm). Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.838. Creative Commons-BY.

Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn Museum

Ritual Object

ca. 664-30 B.C.E.

Maker Unknown

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

This object is seen in temple reliefs in which the king offers it to goddesses like Hathor, Sakhmet, Mut, or Bastet who are called the Eye of Re. As the Eye of Re, each of these deities symbolized a number of ideas, including the destructive power of the sun god. In return for this offering, the king was assured of protection and the power needed to maintain cosmic order, or Ma'at. He also received the gift of a uraeus for his crown, a symbol of the same forces embodied in the Eye of Re. The cycle of giving, receiving, and giving in return ritually affirmed that the king's possession of royal power was confirmed and renewed.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Maker Unknown
Classification: Sculpture
Formatted Medium: Faience
Medium: faience
Locations: Place made: Egypt
Dynasty: Dynasty 26, or later
Period: Late Period to Ptolemaic Period
Dimensions: 4 1/16 x 2 1/4 x 1 11/16 in. (10.3 x 5.7 x 4.3 cm)
Departments: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
Accession Number: 36.838
Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Exhibitions: Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Egyptian Art
Rights Statement: Creative Commons-BY
Museum Location: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Dominant Colors

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