Model Food Offering of Bound Gazelle
ca. 1479-1292 B.C.E.
Maker Unknown
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
Model Food Offerings
Over time, new subjects came to be depicted within the tradition of displaying models of food offerings.
New Kingdom Egyptians continued the Middle Kingdom tradition of leaving smallscale replicas of food as funerary offerings in tombs. Although some types were known earlier—such as the trussed duck and miniature vessels—a new subject was the gazelle. As desert dwellers, gazelles symbolized the chaos that existed in the sterile lands flanking the Nile Valley. Bound gazelles therefore represented the desire for eternal control over chaos.
Over time, new subjects came to be depicted within the tradition of displaying models of food offerings.
New Kingdom Egyptians continued the Middle Kingdom tradition of leaving smallscale replicas of food as funerary offerings in tombs. Although some types were known earlier—such as the trussed duck and miniature vessels—a new subject was the gazelle. As desert dwellers, gazelles symbolized the chaos that existed in the sterile lands flanking the Nile Valley. Bound gazelles therefore represented the desire for eternal control over chaos.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Steatite
- Medium
- steatite
- Locations
- Place made: Egypt
- Dynasty
- Dynasty 18
- Period
- New Kingdom
- Dimensions
- 1 11/16 x 2 3/8 in. (4.3 x 6 cm)
- Accession Number
- 51.2
- Credit Line
- Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Exhibitions
- Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Egyptian Art
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
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