Frog
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
In antiquity, as today, the croaking of frogs was often the first sound heard each morning in Egypt. These amphibians were thus associated with the sun’s daily rebirth, and their images were believed to have protective powers. This sculpture was probably placed next to a woman to safeguard her during childbirth. The combination of deep blue and turquoise typifies objects from the time of Amunhotep III.
MEDIUM
Faience
DATES
ca. 1390–1353 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 18
PERIOD
New Kingdom
DIMENSIONS
2 1/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 7/8 in. (5.3 x 5 x 4.7 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
58.28.8
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Blue faience statuette of a seated frog on roughly square base. Front legs in the round. Eyes in high relief covered with Manganese. Three stripes of turquoise blue glaze run down the back. Square opening on underside of base.
Condition: Intact. Firing cracks around neck.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Frog, ca. 1390–1353 B.C.E. Faience, 2 1/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 7/8 in. (5.3 x 5 x 4.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 58.28.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.28.8_threequarter01_PS22.jpg)
IMAGE
threequarter, 58.28.8_threequarter01_PS22.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2024
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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we welcome any additional information you might have.
Do you have any guess on when this frog was created?
We have on file that it was created circa 1390-1353 BCE, it's very old!
I couldn’t think of a question for this frog, but I like it a lot.
No worries! This frog is an example of faience like what the statuette of Aphrodite is made out of; this bright blue was the most common glaze that was used on the material.
Faience is a quartz-based paste that can be molded and fired at high temperatures to harden much like ceramics. The material is naturally sparkling white so it takes color very well. This glass-like glaze is colored with copper oxides.
Awesome! Thank you!
