Sealing
Unknown Artist
ca. 1981–1640 B.C.
Medium
Mud
Classification
Sealing
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922
Accession Number
22.1.1701
Art Historical Context
This ancient Egyptian *Sealing*, crafted from mud around 1981–1640 B.C. during the Middle Kingdom's Dynasties 12–13, offers a fascinating glimpse into everyday administrative life. As a simple yet vital artifact, it represents an impression made from a seal—likely a cylinder or scarab type—pressed into soft clay to secure documents, storage jars, or doors. mud sealings were ubiquitous in bureaucratic Egypt, ensuring the integrity of goods and official records in a thriving, reunified kingdom. The Middle Kingdom marked a golden age of stability and cultural revival following chaos, with art an...