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Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian) · statue

Box for a Mummified Animal with Snake Figure

Source of record: Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

A snake lies coiled in a figure-eight shape on top of this empty box designed to hold 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 worshiper 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 copper-alloy box or amulet case with a raised serpentine (snake-like) figure on one face.

The image shows a dark greenish-brown rectangular object with beveled edges, photographed against a plain light background. On the front face there is a prominent raised design resembling an intertwined snake or serpent with two visible loops and a tapering tail/head-like form. No clear hieroglyphic inscription, cartouche, or other figured deity is visible on the shown sides. The surface appears metallic with weathering/corrosion consistent with copper alloy patination. No Greek/Coptic/Arabic text is visible.

decorative unclear good
Materials copper alloy

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1

English description

Inscribed with prayer to Atum

Connections

Deities Atum

Cross-references (1)

  • ARTIC-id 135993 tier-2

Similar inscriptions · by content embedding

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.