Upper Part of Sistrum
Description
Object Label: A sistrum is a musical instrument similar to a rattle. Sistra were played by priests and priestesses during funerals and other religious rituals. However, this example, made from faience, would not have been played in this world. Rather, it was placed in the tomb for use in the afterlife. Caption: Upper Part of Sistrum, 664–525 B.C.E. or later. Faience, 8 1/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 1/4 in. (20.5 x 4.9 x 3.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.321E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A sistrum with the head of the goddess Hathor depicted on the handle.
This artifact is a sistrum, a musical instrument commonly associated with the goddess Hathor, as depicted by her face on the handle. The sistrum is crafted from a greenish-blue faience material, showcasing the typical composition style and religious significance in Ancient Egyptian culture. The handle is adorned with the likeness of Hathor, indicated by the characteristic cow ears and sun disk headdress. This instrument was likely used in religious ceremonies and rituals.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.321E tier-2
- BKM-Object 4016 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.