Statuette depicting a worshipping baboon

Statuette depicting a worshipping baboon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

To the ancient Egyptians, baboons were the prototypical adorers of the rising and the setting sun, and their chatter held secret knowledge they hoped to share. The material and quality of the statuette suggests it was a royal donation from Ramesses II, whose name appears on the back pillar.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Statuette depicting a worshipping baboonStatuette depicting a worshipping baboonStatuette depicting a worshipping baboonStatuette depicting a worshipping baboonStatuette depicting a worshipping baboon

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.