Ball-Playing Ceremony: the king before a goddess, possibly Hathor
Unknown Artist
380–246 B.C.
Medium
Quartzite
Dimensions
H. 85 × W. 71 × D. 7.2 cm, 104.3 kg (33 7/16 × 27 15/16 × 2 13/16 in., 230 lb.)
Classification
Relief, ball-playing ceremony before a goddess, maybe Hathor
Period
Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1947
Accession Number
47.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking quartzite relief, titled *Ball-Playing Ceremony: the king a goddess, possibly Hath*, dates to Egypt's Late Period or Ptolemaic era (380–246 B.C.), Dynasty 30 or later. Carved from a massive slab (85 × 71 × 7.2 cm, weighing over 230 pounds), it captures a ritual scene where a king stands in reverence before a divine female figure, likely Hathor, the goddess of love, music, and joy. Surrounding hieroglyphs provide inscriptions that would have invoked protection and divine favor, underscoring the artwork's role in royal propaganda and religious devotion. The "ball-playing" ceremony...