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Source Description

This carved wooden ibex head once decorated a lyre, a stringed instrument like a small harp that was adapted from Near Eastern cultures during the New Kingdom.The head of an ibex is depicted emerging from an open lotus flower. Between the curved horns of the ibex is a projection with a rectangular tang. This tang would attach to the crossbar of the lyre. The angle of the piece and the shortness of its length suggest that it was fitted as the shorter support of an asymmetrical lyre. The ibex head would have faced outward. The piece is well preserved and the ibex is realistically rendered right down to a tiny projection representing a bearded tuft beneath the chin of the animal. According to Peter Lacovara the base of this piece may be located in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
12993
label
Ibex Head Lyre Fragment
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
12993
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Ibex Head Lyre Fragment
description
This carved wooden ibex head once decorated a lyre, a stringed instrument like a small harp that was adapted from Near Eastern cultures during the New Kingdom.The head of an ibex is depicted emerging from an open lotus flower. Between the curved horns of the ibex is a projection with a rectangular tang. This tang would attach to the crossbar of the lyre. The angle of the piece and the shortness of its length suggest that it was fitted as the shorter support of an asymmetrical lyre. The ibex head would have faced outward. The piece is well preserved and the ibex is realistically rendered right down to a tiny projection representing a bearded tuft beneath the chin of the animal. According to Peter Lacovara the base of this piece may be located in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1375-1100 BCE (New Kingdom)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Wood
lyres
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
14.8
height
5.6
depth
2.6
dimensionsRaw
5 13/16 x 2 3/16 x 1 in. (14.8 x 5.6 x 2.6 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
dynasty
18th-20th Dynasty
med
wood
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
d3d9a21f24780194
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
720fd4fc34f654c8
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no