Marsh Bowl

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The bowl's interior is decorated with a pool surrounded by blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) and papyrus flowers. The underside shows the petals and sepals of an open lotus. These motifs symbolize the themes of fertility, rebirth, and regeneration. Shrines dedicated to Hathor produced large quantities of such bowls, some of which have decoration that clearly symbolizes the goddess; others, like this one, bear patterns that are more general. The bright blue color reinforces the importance of the gift to Hathor, "Lady of Turquoise."

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art