Document Sealing With the Throne Name of Amenhotep III
Unknown Artist
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
Medium
Mud
Dimensions
H. 1.7 cm (11/16 in.); w. 2.3 cm (7/8 in.); th. 0.9 cm (3/8 in.)
Classification
Sealing, Nebmaatre, Amenhotep III, heb-sed
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1911, 1912
Accession Number
12.180.480
Art Historical Context
This tiny mud sealing, dating to around 1390–1352 B.C., bears the throne name of Amenhotep, one of ancient Egypt's most prosperous pharaohs from Dynasty 18 of the New Kingdom. Measuring just 1.7 cm high, it served as a practical tool in the bustling royal administration, pressed onto papyrus documents or storage jars to ensure authenticity and prevent tampering. Such seals were everyday guardians of official correspondence, trade records, and temple inventories during Egypt's imperial golden age. Crafted from simple mud—likely Nile silt hardened by firing or drying—the object showcases the in...