Wall Painting: Woman Holding a Sistrum

Description The woman in this fragmentary painting from a tomb wall has a wig of long, full hair, held in place by a flowered headband and topped with an ointment cone, a perfumed substance placed on wigs that gave off a fragrant aroma as it melted. A lotus blossom adorns the front of the headband. She holds a rattle called a sistrum, which women often played during temple ceremonies. What remains of the inscription suggests that she may have served with the temple staff of the god Amen.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
8/05/1998	Examination	survey

Exhibitions

• Musical Instruments and Their Portrayal in Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. 1946.

Provenance Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1909, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Inscription] In black paint on yellow: remains of 4 vertical lines of inscription; [Translation] ...(his) sister...the lady...of Amun

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1909