Cowroid with Outward-facing Merged Lions and Sun Disk
This is a cowroid, a seal-amulet imitating the cowrie shell. As early as prehistoric times, cowrie shells were worn as adornment and amulets in Egypt, and their imitations in stone or faience appear in the early 2nd millennium B.C. They are often associated with fertility because the ventral opening of the shell looks similar to female genitalia.
This cowroid’s underside shows a pair of merged lions, a design rarely found on seal-amulets. A sun disk sits above. The pair of lions may refer to the twin gods Shu and Tefnut, respectively gods of the air and the rain according to the creation myth of Heliopolis: Shu and his sister Tefnut can take the shape of lions placed back-to-back, supporting the sun disk. This pair of lions, however, are merged at the shoulders, as seen in Ptolemaic inscriptions where they refer to the lunar god Khonsu.
This cowroid’s underside shows a pair of merged lions, a design rarely found on seal-amulets. A sun disk sits above. The pair of lions may refer to the twin gods Shu and Tefnut, respectively gods of the air and the rain according to the creation myth of Heliopolis: Shu and his sister Tefnut can take the shape of lions placed back-to-back, supporting the sun disk. This pair of lions, however, are merged at the shoulders, as seen in Ptolemaic inscriptions where they refer to the lunar god Khonsu.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cowroid with Outward-facing Merged Lions and Sun Disk
- Period: New Kingdom–Third Intermediate Period
- Date: ca. 1550–664 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Glazed steatite
- Dimensions: L. 1.7 × W. 1.1 × H. 0.6 cm (11/16 × 7/16 × 1/4 in.)
- Credit Line: Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904
- Object Number: 04.2.791
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
ca. 1525–1504 B.C.
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
ca. 1878–1840 B.C.
ca. 1336–1323 B.C.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.