Inlay Figure of a King in Four Pieces
1 of 9
Object Label
Glass inlays like this were used to decorate shrines or cartonnages. When forming part of the decoration of a cartonnage, they were pressed directly into the outer coat of plaster while it was still wet. This inlay probably formed part of the decorative pattern of a box, a piece of furniture, or an item of funerary equipment. The bright colors not only enhanced the appearance of the object but had symbolic significance as well.
Caption
Inlay Figure of a King in Four Pieces, 305–30 B.C.E.. Glass, gold leaf, 5 9/16 x 2 3/8 x 5/16 in. (14.1 x 6 x 0.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 49.61.1-.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 49.61.1-.4_SL1.jpg)
Title
Inlay Figure of a King in Four Pieces
Date
305–30 B.C.E.
Period
Early Ptolemaic Period
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Glass, gold leaf
Classification
Dimensions
5 9/16 x 2 3/8 x 5/16 in. (14.1 x 6 x 0.8 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
49.61.1-.4
Rights
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.
Frequent Art Questions
What were these used for?
These are inlays, they would have been set into surfaces (like on a wall or on a coffin) as decoration.The falcon head, though, is actually from a piece of jewelry! You can tell because it is rimmed in gold unlike the others.It's a terminal for a broad collar (there is a big blue broad collar on view at the other end of the gallery). Attached at the bottom, would have been the beads, and above its head would have been the clasp or closure for the necklace.Thanks!
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
