Inlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat feather

Inlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat feather

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This exquisite piece of inlay from a shrine shows Thoth, god of writing and all things intellectual, as an ibis walking atop a standard. Its beak is supported by a feather—the symbol of Maat, goddess of justice and closely associated with Thoth. The artist beautifully captured the halting stride of the bird, which seems to be considering its every step.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Inlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat featherInlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat featherInlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat featherInlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat featherInlay depicting Thoth as the ibis with a maat feather

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.