Document Sealing With Multiple Seal Impressions
Unknown Artist
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
Medium
Mud
Dimensions
H. 1.6 cm (5/8 in.); w. 2 cm (13/16 in.); th. 0.8 cm (5/16 in.)
Classification
Sealing, bee, heb sed, djed
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1911, 1912
Accession Number
12.180.733
Art Historical Context
Step into the ancient world of Egypt's New Kingdom with this tiny yet remarkable artifact: a *Document Sealing With Multiple Seal Impressions*. Dating to around 1390–1352 B.C. during Dynasty 18—the golden age of pharaohs like Amenhotep III—this mud sealing measures just 1.6 cm high and 2 cm wide. Crafted from simple clay, it bears overlapping impressions from cylinder seals, a common administrative tool used to secure papyrus documents, doors, or storage jars against tampering. In the bustling bureaucracy of the New Kingdom, such sealings were essential for record-keeping, trade, and royal ad...