Cowroid Seal Amulet Inscribed for the God's Wife Hatshepsut
Unknown Artist
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
Medium
Steatite (glazed)
Dimensions
L. 1.8 cm (11/16 in.); W. 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
Classification
Cowroid; Hatshepsut, God's Wife
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.3.191
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite cowroid seal amulet crafted around 1479–1458 B.C. during the early 18th Dynasty of Egypt New Kingdom, bears an inscription dedicating it to Hatshepsut in her role as God's Wife of Amun—a prestigious title she held before ascending as one of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs. Shaped like the curved back of a cow, a form symbolizing fertility and divine protection associated with goddesses like Hathor, this small artifact (just 1.8 cm long) would have been worn as a protective amulet while doubling as a personal seal for authenticating documents or possessions. Made of steatite—a so...