Statuette of a Sphinx from a Barque Standard
Third Intermediate Period, late Dynasty 21–Dynasty 22, about 984–715 BCE
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
21.8 × 3.1 × 16.6 cm (8 9/16 × 1 3/16 × 6 1/2 in.)
Classification
statuette
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130025
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The creature here combines a ferocious lion’s body with a king’s head to form a divine guardian called a sphinx. Small metal sphinxes like this one were affixed to barques (boats) that carried the cult statues of gods and goddesses when they were brought out of their temples during religious festivals. Here, two rearing cobras flank the sphinx’s paws to help it ward off threats to the deity whose statue was set in a shrine at the center of the barque, shielded from view.
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....