Document Sealing
Unknown Artist
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
Medium
Mud
Dimensions
H. 2.5 cm (1 in.); w. 1.8 cm (11/16 in.); th. 1.1 cm (7/16 in.)
Classification
Sealing, djed, cobra
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1911, 1912
Accession Number
12.180.662
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling world of ancient Egypt's New Kingdom, around 1390–1352 B.C., with this unassuming yet remarkable artifact: *Document Sealing*. Crafted from mud by an unknown artist during Dynasty 18—a golden age of pharaohs Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun—this tiny object measures just 2.5 cm high, 1.8 cm wide, and 1.1 cm thick. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1911 and 1912, it now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art collection. Mud, or Nile silt clay, was the everyday medium for such sealings, pressed onto rolled papyrus documents or bags to secure them against ...