Broad Collar
Unknown Artist
ca. 1479–1425 B.C.
Medium
Gold, carnelian, obsidian, glass
Dimensions
H. 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); W. 38 cm (14 15/16 in.)
Classification
Broad Collar, necklace, falcon terminals
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1926; Purchase, Frederick P. Huntley Bequest, 1958; Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1966
Accession Number
26.8.59a
Tags
Art Historical Context
This stunning **Broad Collar**, dating to Egypt's New Kingdom (ca. 1479–1425 B.C.) during the prosperous Dynasty 18, exemplifies the era's mastery of opulent jewelry. Crafted by an unknown artist, this ceremonial necklace measures an impressive 24 cm high and 38 cm wide, to drape dramatically over the shoulders. Such collars were prized status symbols, often adorning royalty, deities, or mummies in funerary rites, symbolizing protection, fertility, and divine favor amid the pharaohs' golden age of empire-building under rulers like Thutmose III. Fashioned from gleaming gold interspersed with v...