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New Kingdom, Amarna Period
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 122
The water lily, more commonly known as the lotus, was one of the most ubiquitous plants and symbols of ancient Egypt. Its flower, which is either blue or white (Nymphaea coerulea and alba), closes up at night and reopens in the morning to reveal a central yellow circle radiating yellow petals. To the ancient Egyptians this phenomenon reflected the rising of the sun at the dawn of creation, and the flower was honored as an image of daily rebirth and rejuvenation. De-pictions of the water lily, such as these models and inlays, usually incorporate this symbolism, but the plant was also valued for its medicinal properties as a pain reliever.
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Artwork Details
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Title: Lotus Flower Inlay
Period: New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Dynasty: Dynasty 18
Date: ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt, Middle Egypt, Amarna (Akhetaten)
Medium: Faience
Dimensions: L. 3.7 × H. 4.4 × D. 0.6 cm (1 7/16 × 1 3/4 × 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926
Accession Number: 26.7.967
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Timeline of Art History
Chronology
Egypt, 2000-1000 B.C.
Related Artworks
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- In the same gallery
- Egyptian Art
- Faience
- From Africa
- From Amarna
- From Egypt
- From Upper Egypt
- From 2000–1000 B.C.
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The Met's collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 26,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from the Paleolithic to the Roman period.
