“Leopard-skin” robe of the priest, Harnedjitef

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Men serving as high priests, Iunmutef-priests, or sem-priests required specific items of dress, one of which was the pelt of a leopard. Fastened over a shoulder or hanging down the back, the leopard skin served as a powerful symbol of regeneration, particularly relevant for priests conducting rituals carried out on behalf of the dead. Depictions suggest that priests wore actual pelts, but nearly all the rare surviving examples are made from painted linen. Here, the paws, tail, and neckline were cut from a doubled piece of cloth whose edges were then stitched together. The "leopard spots" were once brightly colored rosettes of red, yellow, and blue.

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