Figure of a rearing cobra with feline head
Unknown Artist
664–30 B.C.
Medium
Bronze or cupreous alloy
Dimensions
H. 11.8 × W. 3.5 × D. 7.5 cm (4 5/8 × 1 3/8 × 2 15/16 in.)
Classification
Figure of a rearing cobra with feline head; 138-glass-case
Period
Late Period – Ptolemaic Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Adina Lei Savin, in honor of Dr. William Benson Harer Jr., 2022
Accession Number
2022.420
Art Historical Context
This striking bronze figure of a rearing cobra with a feline head dates to Egypt’s Late Period through the Ptolemaic era (664–30 B.C.), a time when traditional Egyptian religious imagery continued to flourish even as the region came under Persian and later Greek influence. Cast in bronze or a related copper alloy, the small sculpture—measuring just under five inches tall—reflects the era’s widespread production of votive bronzes. These portable works were often dedicated in temples as offerings to deities, blending protective and royal symbolism in compact, durable form. The hybrid creature c...