Woman and a Child on a Bed in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Woman and Child on a Bed

Objects of this type may have served multiple purposes. They have been found in temples, tombs, and houses. Perhaps they satisfied the sexual needs of men in the afterlife or conveyed wishes for fertility on the part of both men and women. They may have had a connection with Hathor, goddess of love and sexuality. The child here suggests the ideas of fertility and rebirth, which were vital to resurrection and immortality in the next life.

Medium: Terracotta

Place Excavated: Sawama, Egypt

Dates: ca. 1539-1295 B.C.E.

Dynasty: XVIII Dynasty

Period: New Kingdom (probably)

Dimensions: 2 1/8 x 2 5/8 x 5 15/16 in. (5.4 x 6.7 x 15.1 cm)

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Temples and Tombs, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 14.606

Credit Line: Gift of the Egypt Exploration Fund

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/8605/Woman_...