Walters Art Museum (Egyptian) · architecture

Head of a Crocodile

Walters Art Museum (Egyptian), acc. 47.117. Public domain (CC0). Copy archived by egyptianinscriptions.org with attribution; original at the holding institution.

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Accession: 47.117
Dynasty: 30th-Ptolemaic Dynasty
Date: ca. 380-250 BCE (Late Period (30th dynasty)-early Ptolemaic Period)
Date range: 380 BCE – 250 BCE
Materials: ['dark blue glass']
Repository: Walters Art Museum
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Cite & export

Walters Art Museum (Egyptian), Head of a Crocodile (47.117). Egyptian Inscriptions Database. https://egyptianinscriptions.org/object/220859

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Description

<p>The crocodile is closely related to the god Sobek, who was worshipped in different places in Egypt, particularly in Kom Ombo and Sumenu, in the Faiyum. In Ptolemaic times Sobek was connected to the sun-god Re, and therefore also to the Greek solar god Helios. This inlay displays a very carefully worked crocodile head, which presents a lot of details such as teeth, protruding eyes, and curved supraorbital niches.</p><p>For the latest information about this object, <cite><a href='https://purl.thewalters.org/art/47.117' rel='external'>Head of a Crocodile</a></cite>, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.</p>

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.

A small blue glass animal-headed object resembling a crocodile head with stylized muzzle, teeth, and eye details.

The artifact is shown in a close-up, isolated against a light background. It appears as a single-piece molded figure, predominantly dark blue in color, shaped like the front portion of an animal head. The upper contour is rounded and tapers slightly toward one end. The muzzle is elongated with a pronounced snout and a carved/engraved linework pattern suggesting the mouth opening. On the visible side, a recessed or raised eye area and faint facial contours are indicated by shallow relief. Along the mouth line there are small, repeated marks that resemble stylized teeth. The surface shows wear and some light abrasions/scuffing, and there is a chip or loss near the top/edge. No borders of cartouches or clearly readable hieroglyphic signs are visible; any linear marks appear to be part of the sculpted facial/teeth detailing rather than an inscription. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is present.

decorative unknown good

Materials dark blue glass

Connections

Deities Ra Sobek

Materials Dark Blue Glass

Cross-references (2)

Walters-AccNum 47.117 tier-2
Walters-id 17729 tier-2

About this record's data

From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Walters Art Museum (Egyptian).
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.