Plaque with Name of Harsiese-Meryamun
Third Intermediate Period–Late Period, Dynasties 21–26 (about 1069–525 BCE)
Medium
Green jasper
Dimensions
0.5 × 1.6 × 1 cm (3/16 × 5/8 × 3/8 in.)
Classification
seal
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
134465
Art Historical Context
Nestled among the treasures of the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts Africa collection, this diminutive green jasper plaque—measuring just 0.5 × 1.6 × 1 cm—bears the cartouche of Harsiese-Meryamun, a significant figure from Egypt's Third Intermediate to Late Period (Dynasties 21–26, ca. 1069–525 BCE). Crafted as a seal, it exemplifies the precision of ancient Egyptian glyptic art, where tiny stones were transformed into tools of authority and protection. During this era of political fragmentation and shifting power among priests and pharaohs, seals like this one played a vital role in administr...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....