Statuette of the goddess Neith

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Neith was patron goddess of Sais and of the Dynasty 26 pharaohs, She has elements of a war goddess, and was regarded as a great creator goddess. Not surprisingly, cupreous statuary of the goddess proliferated during Dynasty 26. This example is a fine example of the facial style of mid Dynasty 26, and of the Saite female figural style with its heavy bosom and long slim hips. The inscription records two beneficiaries, Nesnaisut and Pediese, whose relationship is not clear. They donated the statue in honor of the goddess at an unknown temple, but perhaps in Sais or Memphis, with the assistance of a temple doorkeeper (porter) Wahibreemkhebyt. The pattern occurs often on Saite donation statuary of gods, and points to systems through which the temples were equipped with divine statuettes.

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