Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Head of a Crocodile
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )
The crocodile is closely related to the god Sobek, who was worshipped in different places in Egypt, particularly in Kom Ombo and Sumenu, in the Faiyum. In Ptolemaic times Sobek was connected to the sun-god Re, and therefore also to the Greek solar god Helios.
This inlay displays a very carefully worked crocodile head, which presents a lot of details such as teeth, protruding eyes, and curved supraorbital niches.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Khawam Brothers, Cairo [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1931, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2014-2015 | Die Entstehung der Welt. Ägyptens letzter Schöpfungsmythos (The Origin of the World. Egypt’s Last Creation Myth). Roemer- und Pelizaeus- Museum, Hildesheim; Kunsthalle Leoben, Leoben. |
| 2013-2014 | Egypt’s Mysterious Book of the Faiyum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | Examined | |
| Examination | Examined in preparation for exhibition | |
| 8/21/1998 | Examination | survey |
Geographies
Egypt (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 15/16 x W: 1 9/16 x D: 5/16 in. (2.4 x 3.9 x 0.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1931
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
47.117