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Ivory inlay of a tree
Nubian
Classic Kerma
about 1700–1550 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), Kerma, K1090
Medium/Technique
Ivory
Dimensions
Width x Depth x Length: 3 x 0.4 x 3 cm (1 3/16 x 3/16 x 1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number20.1555
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsFurniture
DescriptionThis ivory inlay piece takes the shape of a small tree with one tier of branches. Foliage is indicated by short incised lines along the curved upper edges. Such inlays were often used as decoration on wooden fixtures such as funerary beds. The surface of the ivory appears somewhat cracked and battered.
ProvenanceFrom Kerma, tomb K1090. March 1914: excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.
(Accession Date: March 1, 1920)
(Accession Date: March 1, 1920)