Cowroid Inscribed with a Nefer Hieroglyph

Cowroid Inscribed with a Nefer Hieroglyph

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This cowrie-shaped amulet is inscribed on the base with a nefer hieroglyph, which represents the word "good," or "beautiful." It was found inside a kohl jar which had been placed in the coffin of an unnamed woman that was discovered in the tomb of Hatnefer (see 36.3.1). Five other cowroids were found in the kohl pot including one with the same inscription that is now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Three of the other amulets are in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (26.3.20, .21, .24). A number of other objects had also been placed in the coffin including two mirrors (36.3.12, .13), three faience bowls (36.3.8–.10) , a circular wood box (36.3.11a, b).

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cowroid Inscribed with a Nefer HieroglyphCowroid Inscribed with a Nefer HieroglyphCowroid Inscribed with a Nefer HieroglyphCowroid Inscribed with a Nefer HieroglyphCowroid Inscribed with a Nefer Hieroglyph

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.