String of beads
Unknown Artist
ca. 1878–1840 B.C.
Medium
Amethyst, gold
Classification
Beads, string
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926
Accession Number
26.7.1338b
Art Historical Context
Step into ancient Egypt with this exquisite *String of Beads*, crafted around 1878–1840 B.C. during the Middle Kingdom's Dynasty 12. Attributed to an unknown artist this delicate piece from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art collection features lustrous amethyst beads accented with gold. Acquired through the Edward S. Hark Gift in 1926, it exemplifies the era's masterful jewelry-making, where small-scale objects carried profound cultural weight. The Middle Kingdom marked a golden age of stability and artistic revival following turbulent times, with Dynasty 12 pharaohs like Senusret...