<em>Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief</em>, ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later. Gold, 1 × 5/8 × 1/16 in. (2.5 × 1.6 × 0.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.810E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.810E_PS4.jpg)

Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief, ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later. Gold, 1 × 5/8 × 1/16 in. (2.5 × 1.6 × 0.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.810E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.810E_PS4.jpg)

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More explanation!

This tiny plaque with the image of Hathor was likely threaded into a piece of jewelry and worn as a type of amulet. We can tell that it is Hathor because she has the body of a woman, but the head of a cow.

If you look closely, you can also see the suggestion of a "was" scepter in her left hand, and an ankh in the right hand reinforcing that this is, in fact, a deity.

Hathor was a fertility goddess related to both fertility of the earth and to sexual love.

Incredible.

Indeed! You may have also noticed that this object is made of gold, amazingly, gold does not tarnish so this tiny plaque has always appeared this brilliant!

Sensational.

Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

MEDIUM Gold

Reportedly From: Saqqara, Egypt

DATES ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later

DYNASTY Dynasty 26, or later

PERIOD Late Period

DIMENSIONS 1 × 5/8 × 1/16 in. (2.5 × 1.6 × 0.2 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 37.810E

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Sheet gold plaque, with rounded top, decorated with repousse figure of a cow-headed goddess. Pierced for attachment at top. Condition: Edges not trimmed after hammering. Some dirt on both sides.

EXHIBITIONS

A Woman's Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Plaque of the Goddess Hathor in Relief, ca. 664–525 B.C.E. or later. Gold, 1 × 5/8 × 1/16 in. (2.5 × 1.6 × 0.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.810E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.810E_PS4.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 37.810E_PS4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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