Egypt

Faience Menat Necklace Counterpoise with Aegis of Sakhmet, New Kingdom Egypt

2089

New Kingdom, Ramesside Period, c. 1295–1070 BCE

A faience menat necklace counterpoise with aegis of Sakhmet, produced during the Ramesside Period of the New Kingdom (c. 1295–1070 BCE), in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The menat is organized in three vertical registers: a crowning aegis of the lion-headed goddess Sakhmet wearing a tripartite wig, a multi-tiered wesekh bead collar, and a solar disk surmounted by an uraeus; a central rectangular shrine panel in crisp low relief depicting a seated deity flanked by protective uraei; and a large circular counterweight disk carved with a radiant multi-petaled rosette resembling an open lotus or sunburst. The entire object is cast in brilliant turquoise faience, with the deep incisions of the bead rows, feather patterns, and rosette petals receiving pooled glaze that intensifies their relief depth. Under directional light, the deep channels within the rosette and collar details generate sharp chiaroscuro against the smooth glowing turquoise field.