Box for a Mummified Animal with Cobra Figure
Description
The body of this rearing cobra figure is supported by an ostrich feather, the symbol of the goddess Maat, who personified truth and justice. The box below (now empty) once contained a mummified animal. Ancient Egyptians presented objects like this in temples as votive gifts to gods and goddesses, tailoring the enclosed mummified animal to one that had a specific connection with the deity whose favor was sought. Such a gift in a sacred space could help ensure that the prayer would be received. The hieroglyphic inscription on the front of this box names the man who dedicated it and invokes Atum, a creator god whom the ancient Egyptians sometimes depicted in the form of a snake.
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A small rectangular metal box with a raised, serpent/cobra-like figure at one end.
The image shows a squat, rectangular object with slightly beveled edges and a dark greenish surface (consistent with copper alloy corrosion). On top, centered toward one side, there is a raised cobra-like figure: the head is lifted upward with an arched neck/body coil visible, while the tail/coil appears to merge into the top surface. No clear hieroglyphs or cartouches are visible on the front, sides, or underside in this view. The overall form fits a box/cover ornamented with a cobra element, though the photo does not show any mummified-animal remains or additional lid details.
Cross-references (1)
- ARTIC-id 135132 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.