Search The Collections

Bowl with design of fish and lotus

Image 1 of 7

IIIF

Usage Conditions Apply

At A Glance

On View

Period

ca. 1539-1075 BCE
Geography

Egypt
Material

Faience (glazed composition) with paint
Dimension

H x W x D: 7.7 x 20.9 x 20.9 cm (3 1/16 x 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 in)
Accession Number

F1909.71
EDAN ID

edanmdm:fsg_F1909.71

Object Details

Description

Dish: deep, round; small concave base. Broken and repaired. Clay: soft, gray. Glaze: deep green-blue with areas of discoloration and partial disintegration. Decoration: drawn in manganese, over glaze.
Label

This type of bowl, decorated with painted fish and lotus flowers, was a ritual object in New Kingdom Egypt (ca. 1539–1075 B.C.E.) and is often found in tombs. The lotus symbolized rebirth because the blue lotus sinks below the surface of the water each evening at sunset and re-emerges each morning at sunrise. The Tilapia fish, which also symbolized rebirth, is often included in the designs. This type of fish holds its eggs in its mouth until they hatch, thus appearing to regenerate spontaneously when live fish swim out of the parent's mouth. The design at the center symbolizes a pool, or water in general, and the entire work comes to represent the marsh and the symbols of rebirth found therein.

These bowls are particularly associated with the goddess Hathor, and many are decorated with her symbols. While the function of the bowls is unclear, many show signs of wear and have been found in tombs. They may have been ritual containers for water, wine, or even milk. The symbolism of rebirth also implies their use as funerary objects or at least as votive objects to a deity like Hathor, who was connected to the necropolis and thus linked to the protection and rebirth of the dead.
Provenance

To 1909

Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo, Egypt, to 1909 [1]

From 1909 to 1919

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Maurice Nahman in 1909 [2]

From 1920

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1985, 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.
Collection

Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History

A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2025)

The Nile and Ancient Egypt (December 7, 2013 to January 3, 2016)

Charles Lang Freer and Egypt (June 13, 1998 to October 2, 2011)
Previous custodian or owner

Maurice Nahman (1868-1948) (C.L. Freer source)

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Origin

Egypt
Credit Line

Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Type

Vessel
On View

Freer Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt
Restrictions and Rights

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.