Figure of a Lion-Headed Goddess in Front of an Obelisk

Description The ancient Egyptians donated figures of their gods for use in temple rituals; smaller images served as amulets to ensure divine protection. Goddesses in particular were viewed as protective deities. From earliest times, Egyptian venerated a wide circle of feline-headed female deities, such as Sakhmet, Tefnut, Wadjet, and Bastet. Leonine goddesses, usually Sakhmet or Wadjet (daughters of the sun-god Re), were often associated with an obelisk - a symbol of the sun god - demonstrating both their close relationship to the supreme god and his powers of renewal.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
9/17/1959	Treatment	cleaned

Exhibitions

• Daily Magic in Ancient Egypt. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2006-2007.

Provenance Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [said to be from Mit Rahina]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930