Sealing
Unknown Artist
ca. 2030–1640 B.C.
Medium
Clay (unfired)
Classification
Sealing
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1914
Accession Number
14.3.340
Art Historical Context
This delicate clay sealing, dating to Egypt's Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1640 B.C., Dynasties 12–13), offers a fascinating glimpse into the administrative heart of ancient Egypt. Created by an unknown artist, it is an impression made from a cylinder seal pressed into soft, unfired clay— a practical medium that hardened naturally over time without firing. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Rogers Fund and Edward. Harkness Gift in1914, it exemplifies everyday artifacts from a golden age of stability and cultural revival following the chaos of the First Intermediate Period. Cylinder se...