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Ivory was used, from predynastic times forward, to create luxurious practical objects such as combs, hair pins, amulets, spoons, and knife handles (Drenkhahn 1986). Around 3000-2900 BCE, a distinctive class of ivory objects--gaming pieces in the form of animals--emerged. These small statuettes represent recumbent lions (both male and female) and hounds. The broad collar and absence of a mane indicate that the subject of the piece illustrated here is a female lion; the rectangular pectoral on the figure's breast is the result of modern recarving, and the high polish was not original to the figure. Such a figurine was probably used in the game of "Mehen" ("coiled one"), played on a round board in the form of a coiled serpent with a trapeziodal projection. The game was popular until the end of the Old Kingdom.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- be6976a64a4b6a70
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 37902
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "37902",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/71.623",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Lioness Game Piece",
"description": "Ivory was used, from predynastic times forward, to create luxurious practical objects such as combs, hair pins, amulets, spoons, and knife handles (Drenkhahn 1986). Around 3000-2900 BCE, a distinctive class of ivory objects--gaming pieces in the form of animals--emerged. These small statuettes represent recumbent lions (both male and female) and hounds. The broad collar and absence of a mane indicate that the subject of the piece illustrated here is a female lion; the rectangular pectoral on the figure's breast is the result of modern recarving, and the high polish was not original to the figure. Such a figurine was probably used in the game of \"Mehen\" (\"coiled one\"), played on a round board in the form of a coiled serpent with a trapeziodal projection. The game was popular until the end of the Old Kingdom.",
"provenance": "Arthur Sambon, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1926 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.",
"date": "ca. 2850 BCE (Early Dynastic Period, late 1st-2nd dynasty)",
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"dimensionsRaw": "1 1/8 x 2 1/16 x 15/16 in. (2.9 x 5.24 x 2.35 cm)"
}
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Document identity
{
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"label": "Lioness Game Piece",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/71.623"
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Document source metadata
{
"id": "37902",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/71.623",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Lioness Game Piece",
"description": "Ivory was used, from predynastic times forward, to create luxurious practical objects such as combs, hair pins, amulets, spoons, and knife handles (Drenkhahn 1986). Around 3000-2900 BCE, a distinctive class of ivory objects--gaming pieces in the form of animals--emerged. These small statuettes represent recumbent lions (both male and female) and hounds. The broad collar and absence of a mane indicate that the subject of the piece illustrated here is a female lion; the rectangular pectoral on the figure's breast is the result of modern recarving, and the high polish was not original to the figure. Such a figurine was probably used in the game of \"Mehen\" (\"coiled one\"), played on a round board in the form of a coiled serpent with a trapeziodal projection. The game was popular until the end of the Old Kingdom.",
"provenance": "Arthur Sambon, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1926 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.",
"date": "ca. 2850 BCE (Early Dynastic Period, late 1st-2nd dynasty)",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/71.623",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
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}
Document source extras
{
"cul": "Egyptian",
"dynasty": "late 1st-2nd Dynasty",
"med": "hippopotamus ivory",
"creator_ids": [
"6182"
],
"collection_ids": [
"EGY"
],
"exhibition_ids": [
"215"
]
}
Page context
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