Sealing
Unknown Artist
ca. 2030–1640 B.C.
Medium
Clay (unfired)
Classification
Sealing
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1914
Accession Number
14.3.295
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the enchanting world of ancient Egyptian administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art This "Sealing," crafted by an unknown artist during Egypt's Middle Kingdom (ca 2030–1640 B.C., Dynasties 12–13), is a modest yet revealing artifact made of unfired clay. Acquired through the Rogers Fund and Edward. Harkness Gift in1914, it exemplifies the everyday tools that powered one of history's great civilizations. In the Middle Kingdom, a golden age of stability and cultural revival following years of unrest, sealings like this one were essential for bureaucracy. Pressed from cylinder or...