Jerboa figurine
Description
Figurine, Jerboa. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12–13, ca. 1850–1640 B.C. Faience. L. 5 cm (1 15/16 in.); W. 2.7 cm (1 1/16 in.); H. 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in.). Possibly from: Heliopolis (Iunu; On), Memphite Region. Subject: Animals. Credit: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926.
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, cream-colored faience figurine shaped like a jerboa, with dark brown/black spots painted along the back and sides and a band of markings across the belly/chest area.
The image shows a standing jerboa figurine in profile facing left. The body is ovoid/rounded with short legs and rounded feet; the head is small with a short upturned snout. The top/back has scattered dark spots and a darker patch near the head/ears area. On the torso there is a horizontal/triangular arrangement of darker spots and smudges near the midsection/belly. The surface appears matte with small firing pitting/crackling. No clear hieroglyphic text, royal cartouches, or inscriptions are visible on the visible surfaces; there are only painted decorative markings. No deities are depicted; this is an animal/creature figure rather than a person or god. The cataloged materials (faience) are consistent with the ceramic-like, glazed look and light color.
Cross-references (4)
- Wikidata-Q Q116251866 tier-1
- Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- Inventory-Number 26.7.900 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- MET-Object 544081 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
- 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.