Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · architecture

Fragmentary Tile from a Foundation Deposit (?)

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Faience

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, irregular fragment of a blue-and-black glazed Egyptian tile showing parts of a central rectangular motif with surrounding vertical and striped elements, likely decorative faience work.

The image shows a broken ceramic/faience tile fragment with a turquoise-blue field. Thick black outlines and bands frame the design: at the center there is a rectangular, grid-like motif that resembles a doorway/panel or architectural element, with a small inner square or segmented bars. Surrounding areas include vertical striped elements and a prominent vertical black band at the right edge. Some characters or marks in dark ink/paint are visible along the left portion of the design, but the fragmentary nature prevents a secure reading; no complete word or cartouche can be confirmed. No visible Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is present. The object appears to be a painted/glazed tile consistent with faience tile decoration, though the exact iconography and any inscription content are unclear due to breakage and limited surface area.

decorative New Kingdom (per catalogue; motif not fully readable here) fragmentary
Materials glazed faience or faience-like blue glazedark painted/ink outlines (likely black glaze/paint)
Signs rectangular grid/architectural panel motif (possibly part of an Egyptian decorative element rather than a readable sign) partial hieroglyphic/painted marks along left edge (unreadable fragment)

Connections

Found at Deir el-Ballas

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116281108 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 17.6.80 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 558063 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • 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.