Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · jewelry

Pendant imitating a shell

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Pendant, shell. Middle Kingdom–Early New Kingdom, Dynasty 12–18, ca. 1981–1295 B.C. Gold. H. 2.5 cm (1 in); w. 2.3 cm (7/8 in). From: Pit 754, Lisht North, Memphite Region, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1906–07. Credit: Rogers Fund, 1907.

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 gold pendant shaped like a rounded shell (or shell-like form) with a narrow top opening/bail for suspension.

The image shows a single, smooth, gold object photographed against a light background. The main body is rounded and asymmetrical, tapering toward a small neck at the top, where there is a short cylindrical collar and what appears to be the attachment opening/bail for hanging. A shallow, oval/curved depression on the upper front suggests stylized shell surface detailing. The front and sides have a polished metallic sheen with fine surface striations/scratches consistent with metal work and handling. No clear hieroglyphic, Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible. No cartouches or royal names are discernible. The object is consistent with a pendant meant to imitate a shell, matching the catalogue’s subject and material; the image does not show any conflicting features, though the exact shell motif is stylized and not fully detailed.

decorative Middle Kingdom–Early New Kingdom (as given by catalogue) good
Materials gold

Connections

Found at Lisht
Materials Gold

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116249894 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 07.227.18 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 544115 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.