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This pectoral was made as a piece of funerary equipment rather than as jewelry to be worn in life. Designed to be laid across the chest of a mummified individual, the pectoral is not only extremely rare but a splendid, skillfully crafted work of art. Composed of more than 400 pieces of inlaid glass and carnelian, it shows a vulture grasping two coils of rope, symbols of the universal power of the king. To the left of the bird’s body is the stylized representation of a cobra, rearing up as if to strike. Together, the vulture and the cobra signify the union of Upper and Lower Egypt and were standard symbolic attributes of the pharaoh. The ornament probably dates to the Second Intermediate period when the Hyksos, a Canaanite group in Western Asia, expanded their power base into the Egyptian delta and forced the Egyptians to move their seat of power to Thebes in the south. The turmoil allowed lower ranking officials to adopt symbols previously reserved for royalty for their own funerary equipment. This pectoral may have belonged to a provincial governor or some other local ruler from that period.
View: Front
Pectoral
Egyptian
Second Intermediate Period, Dynasty 13–17
1783–1550 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Gold and silver with inlays of carnelian and glass
Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 11.2 x 36.5 x 0.5 cm (4 7/16 x 14 3/8 x 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Egyptian Special Purchase Fund, William Francis Warden Fund, Florence E. and Horace L. Mayer Fund
Accession Number1981.159
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Pendants
This pectoral was made as a piece of funerary equipment rather than as jewelry to be worn in life. Designed to be laid across the chest of a mummified individual, the pectoral is not only extremely rare but a splendid, skillfully crafted work of art. Composed of more than 400 pieces of inlaid glass and carnelian, it shows a vulture grasping two coils of rope, symbols of the universal power of the king. To the left of the bird’s body is the stylized representation of a cobra, rearing up as if to strike. Together, the vulture and the cobra signify the union of Upper and Lower Egypt and were standard symbolic attributes of the pharaoh. The ornament probably dates to the Second Intermediate period when the Hyksos, a Canaanite group in Western Asia, expanded their power base into the Egyptian delta and forced the Egyptians to move their seat of power to Thebes in the south. The turmoil allowed lower ranking officials to adopt symbols previously reserved for royalty for their own funerary equipment. This pectoral may have belonged to a provincial governor or some other local ruler from that period.
DescriptionComposed of baseplates made of hammered silver sheet, with soldered and gilded silver cloisons (partitions) inlaid with carnelian and glass, this sumptuous pectoral was fit for a king. It takes the form of a vulture with outstretched wings representing the tutelary goddess of Upper Egypt, Nekhbet, grasping coils of rope, a symbol of eternity. To the left of the vulture's body is a rearing cobra. She is Wadjyt, the goddess of Lower Egypt. Together, they form a pair referred to as the "two ladies," guardian deities of the king.
The pectoral was made as a piece of funerary equipment rather than as jewelry to be worn in life. The three separate pieces representing the wings and body of the bird were not joined to one another; rather, the edges of the base plates were pierced with holes for fastening the ornament to something else, most likely the chest of the mummy or an anthropoid coffin. The wings also curve laterally, further supporting this assumption.
The pectoral was made as a piece of funerary equipment rather than as jewelry to be worn in life. The three separate pieces representing the wings and body of the bird were not joined to one another; rather, the edges of the base plates were pierced with holes for fastening the ornament to something else, most likely the chest of the mummy or an anthropoid coffin. The wings also curve laterally, further supporting this assumption.
Provenance1858, sold by a dealer near Thebes, Egypt to George Alfred Stone, Roxbury, MA and Brooklyn, NY; 1873, sold by Mr. Stone's wife to John W. Garrett (b. 1820 - d. 1884), Baltimore; given by Mr. Garrett to Lafayette College, Easton, PA; about 1979, stolen from Skillman Library at Lafayette College. December 11, 1980, consigned anonymously, through John T. Granger (dealer), Tinicum, PA, to Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, unsold; 1981, sold by John Granger, through Sotheby Parke-Bernet, to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 10, 1981)
NOTE: In 1992, title transferred from Lafayette College to MFA as through agreement reached in April 1992.
NOTE: In 1992, title transferred from Lafayette College to MFA as through agreement reached in April 1992.