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Amulet of a Lion-Headed Goddess with Kitten
Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21–25 (about 1069–664 BCE)
- Medium
- Faience
- Classification
- Costume and Accessories
- Dimensions
- 7.7 × 1.8 × 2.7 cm (3 1/16 × 3/4 × 1 1/8 in.)
- Culture
- Egypt
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa
- Credit line
- Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson, Henry H. Getty, and Norman W. Harris
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Ancient Egyptians, both living and dead, wore amulets of gods and goddesses to bring protection and health. These small charms depicted deities in their human, animal, or mixed forms. Here, a powerful striding figure draws the eye, but who is the small cat at her feet? This amulet likely represents the lioness goddess Sekhmet or the cat goddess, Bastet. In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet and Bastet both act as the Eye of Re, the daughter/protector of the sun god, Re. Sekhmet was known for her ferocious nature, while Bastet was thought to be a gentler form of the same goddess. Ancient Egyptians recognized the fickle moodiness of felines, a quality still associated with today’s domesticated cats. The amulet represents this duality by showing the goddess in both her lion and cat forms.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
