Amulet of the goddess Taweret

Object Details

• Description

  Amulet of the hippopotamus goddess, Taweret, modeled in the round. Both legs broken at the thighs; left hand missing. She takes the form of a female hippopotamus standing upright on her hind legs. She has a rounded stomach and very pendulous breasts. She wears a tri-partite wig, the back portion of which ends in a crocodile tail. The suspension loop is attached in back at the point where the wig is transformed into a crocodile tail. She strides with her left leg forward, arms held at her sides.

• Previous custodian or owner

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Provenance

  To 1906-1907

  Unidentified owner, Egypt, to 1906-1907 [1]

  From 1906-1907 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased in Egypt from an unidentified owner in the winter of 1906-1907 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1841, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [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.

• Origin

  Egypt

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• On View

  Freer Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s, BCE 1000s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  Egypt

• Topic

  Art, Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1075 - 656 BCE), Taweret, Ancient Egyptian Art, Protection

• Culture

  Egyptians

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry

• On View

  Yes