Profile inlay of Anubis

Fragment of an inlay: the head of Anubis. Nose chipped. Die cut and engraved. Opaque dark blue.

Historical period(s)
New Kingdom, ca. 1539-1075 BCE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H x W: 3.3 x 2.7 cm (1 5/16 x 1 1/16 in)
Geography
Egypt
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1909.773
On View Location
Freer Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt
Classification(s)
Glass, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Inlay

Keywords
Anubis, Egypt, New Kingdom (ca. 1539 - 1075 BCE)
Provenance

To 1909
Giovanni Dattari (circa 1858-1923), Cairo, Egypt, to 1909 [1]

From 1909 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Giovanni Dattari in 1909 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See S.I. 189, Miscellaneous List, Egyptian Glass, pgs. 1 and 36, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. This piece is part of a collection of glass that was purchased en bloc and includes 1,388 specimens (for further purchase information, see the folder for F1909.332).

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Giovanni Dattari (C.L. Freer source) 1858-1923

Description

Fragment of an inlay: the head of Anubis. Nose chipped. Die cut and engraved. Opaque dark blue.

Label

From the New Kingdom (ca. 1539-1075 B.C.E.) onward, Egyptian artisans used glass to fashion small objects such as jewelry, amulets, and miniatures. They also combined glass with other materials, often metal or wood. Colored glass inlays formed in molds adorned a variety of objects, including jewelry, furniture, and coffins.

The patron deity of embalming and of the necropolis, Anubis was depicted as a human male with the head of a jackal.  This inlay almost certainly decorated a wooden coffin, and functioned as an amulet of protection for the deceased.

Published References
  • Ann C. Gunter. A Collector's Journey: Charles Lang Freer and Egypt. Washington and London, 2002. p. 110, fig. 4.16.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Egyptian Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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