Box for a Mummified Animal with Snake Figure
Late Period–Ptolemaic Period (664–30 BCE)
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
4.1 × 5 × 8.1 cm (1 5/8 × 2 × 3 3/16 in.)
Classification
box
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
135993
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
A snake lies coiled in a figure-eight shape on top of this empty box designed to hold a mummified animal. Ancient Egyptians presented objects like this in temples as votive gifts to gods and goddesses, tailoring the enclosed mummified animal to one that had a specific connection with the deity whose favor was sought. Such a gift in a sacred space could help ensure that the prayer would be received. The hieroglyphic inscription on the front of this box names the worshiper who dedicated it and inv...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....