Ring of Sun God Ra in his Bark Being Worshipped by Baboons
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18–19 (about 1550–1186 BCE)
Medium
Steatite
Dimensions
2.5 × 2.5 × 1.6 cm (1 × 1 × 3 in.)
Classification
stone
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
140722
Art Historical Context
This exquisite steatite ring, measuring just 2.5 × 2.5 × 1.6 cm, hails from Egypt's New Kingdom (Dynasty 18–19, ca. 1550–1186 BCE), a golden age of pharaonic power and monumental art. Carved in the round as a miniature scarab seal, it depicts the sun god Ra sailing in his sacred bark—the solar boat that carried him across the sky by day and through the underworld by night—while baboons worship him. These primates, linked to the dawn and the god Thoth, symbolize reverence for the rising sun, capturing a pivotal moment in Egyptian cosmology. Crafted from soft steatite (soapstone), the ring show...
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....