God Tutu as a Sphinx
Description
Object Label: A latecomer to the Egyptian pantheon, the god Tutu was responsible for human fate and fortune. Tutu’s might was supplemented by the demons under his control. The lion’s head on his chest and the crocodile between his paws represent two of the demons he commands. The cobra tail and serpents under each paw similarly obeyed Tutu and served as his powers of protection. Caption: God Tutu as a Sphinx, 1st century C.E. or later. Limestone, pigment, 14 1/4 x 5 1/16 x 16 11/16 in. (36.2 x 12.8 x 42.4 cm) mount (display dimensions): 14 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 17 in. (36.8 x 14 x 43.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1509E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Limestone figurine depicting a lion/sphinx form with a human-like head wearing a Nemes-style headdress; portions of blue and red pigment remain.
The object is a recumbent sphinx/lion figure shown in right-facing profile. The head has a stylized human face with downcast eyes and defined mouth, and it wears a broad, segmented headdress resembling the Nemes (or a related royal/divine headcloth). The forelimbs are extended forward with paws resting on a low base. The body is slim and muscular, tapering toward the back; the tail appears tucked along the underside. Traces of painted decoration are visible: dark/blackish areas around the head and headdress accents, and scattered red and blue pigment on the body and headdress. The limestone surface shows weathering and small losses, especially on edges and along painted areas. No clearly legible hieroglyphic, Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible on the visible surfaces; faint marks are present but are not clear enough to transcribe. No cartouches/royal names are identifiable in the image.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.1509E tier-2
- BKM-Object 118040 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.