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
22.1.1910
Art Historical Context
This ancient Egyptian *Sealing*, crafted from mud around 1981–1640 B.C. during the Middle Kingdom's Dynasties 12–, offers a glimpse into the everyday bureaucracy of one of history's most enduring civilizations. Created by an unknown artist, it is an impression made by rolling a cylinder seal over soft mud or clay, a practical technique used to secure goods, doors, and documents against tampering. Such sealings were essential for trade, storage, and administration, reflecting the Middle Kingdom's era of renewed stability and centralized power after periods of unrest. The mud medium, though hum...