Hathor emblem from a sistrum

Hathor emblem from a sistrum

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Both sides of this piece show a triangular-shaped frontal face with cow’s ears. The face is surrounded by a straight wig bound at intervals with horizontal ribbons. Underneath it is an elaborate collar composed of several rows of floral elements as well as tube and drop beads. On either side of the face is a uraeus with a tall crown. The crowns are damaged but can be reconstructed as the crown of Upper Egypt on one side and that of Lower Egypt on the other. This piece depicts the so called Hathor emblem and was originally part of a sistrum, a musical instrument that was used in rituals.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hathor emblem from a sistrumHathor emblem from a sistrumHathor emblem from a sistrumHathor emblem from a sistrumHathor emblem from a sistrum

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.