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

Inlay, hieroglyph

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

Description

Late Period, Saite, Dynasty 26, reign of Psamtik I, 664–610 B.C. Faience. H. 4.9 cm (1 15/16 in.); W. 2 cm (13/16 in.). From: Tomb of Nespekashuty (TT 312, MMA 509), Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1922–23. Credit: Rogers Fund, 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.

Blue faience inlay shaped to resemble a vertical hieroglyph sign, with a stepped/boxy form and worn surface.

The image shows a small, monochrome blue object against a light background. Its form is a stylized, L-shaped vertical segment with a broader middle, resembling an individual hieroglyph inlaid in a larger surface. The surface appears mottled and abraded, with fine cracking and chips along edges, consistent with a small ceramic/ faience element. No clear cartouches or full inscription sequence are visible; only part of the hieroglyphal form can be made out. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible. No identifiable royal name or deity attributes can be confirmed from the remaining sign details.

hieroglyphic only Late Period, Saite (per catalogue ground truth; exact dating not independently verifiable from image alone) fragmentary
Materials blue faience (glazed ceramic)
Signs Unidentified hieroglyph (partial single sign; exact Gardiner code not clear)
Visible text "Partial single hieroglyph sign only; no readable full excerpt or cartouche visible."

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1 AI reading of the photograph

Visible text (machine reading)

Partial single hieroglyph sign only; no readable full excerpt or cartouche visible.

Connections

Found at Deir el-Bahri

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116418838 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 26.3.164c tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 550877 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.