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Thoth-Ibis Figure
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )
The main cult center of Thoth, the god of wisdom, was at Hermopolis in Middle Egypt. The animals sacred to this god were the baboon and the ibis, and a gigantic cemetery for them was established nearby in Tuna el-Gebel. Small bronze figurines, such as this one, could surmount a coffin and be placed in an animal cemetery, or could be donated to the Thoth temple. While ibis figures and mummies have been found in many places in Egypt, baboon mummies are rarer, and most of them come from Tuna el-Gebel.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1909, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2008-2013 | Mummified. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 9/17/1959 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 5/3/1976 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 4/24/1984 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 10/10/2008 | Treatment | other; cleaned; loss compensation |
Measurements
3 5/8 x 1 5/8 x 3 1/16 in. (9.21 x 4.13 x 7.78 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1909
Location in Museum
Not on view
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.
54.2152