Collection record · Small worlds
Bull's-Head Amulet
The collection record classifies this work as amulets. It is dated c. 3500–2950 BCE. Recorded culture or place: Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III (3650–3000 BCE).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Bull's-Head Amulet
- Date
- c. 3500–2950 BCE
- Culture / origin
- Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III (3650–3000 BCE)
- Materials and technique
- amethyst
- Dimensions
- Overall: 3.4 x 3.7 x 2.6 cm (1 5/16 x 1 7/16 x 1 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1998.26
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This stunning amethyst amulet takes the shape of the head of a bull, an animal renowned from the earliest times in Egypt for its natural strength. The image presented is abstract, with only the most important of the animal features being represented: horns that curl downward in low relief, large eyes, and a narrow, cylindrical snout. The back is pierced horizontally for suspension. A well known but rare type, the bull's head amulet is also one of the earliest of all amulets from ancient Egypt, datable to the Predynastic period (4000–3000 BC). The outstanding composition and luxuriant violet hue of this example single it out as one of the very finest of its kind.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · John L. Severance Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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