Egyptian Pottery Fragment with a Figure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 2023

Title: Pottery Fragment with Figure

Date: 4th–7th century

Geography: Made in Kharga Oasis, Byzantine Egypt

Culture: Coptic

Medium: Earthenware, slip decoration

Dimensions: Overall: 4 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 3/8 in. (11.4 x 8.3 x 1 cm)

Classification: Ceramics

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1925

Object Number: 25.10.25.53


Archaeologists discovered many of the objects, such as this pottery fragment, in monastic contexts throughout Egypt. Artisans and scribes produced ritual protective texts and images alongside other religious objects in the late antique and medieval periods. Incantations to ward off evil as well as alchemical texts or "spells" appear on this group in both Coptic and Greek.

Bits and pieces like this one have been described as "magical" objects. The works illuminate everyday desires, such as protection, love, and good luck. Magic is not necessarily the most precise term to describe these works, which blur the lines between multiple faith practices. Still, scholars and the public often use the word to describe texts or objects like these that do not seem to fit into traditional devotional or miraculous categories.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/478451