Owl Hieroglyph Inlay
Description
Inlay, owl. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1550–1295 B.C. Beryl. H. 2.8 (1 1/8 in.); W. 1.9 (3/4 in.); Th. 0.3 cm (1/8 in.). Probably from: Deir el-Ballas, Northern Upper Egypt. Subject: Owls. Credit: Gift of Albert M. Lythgoe, 1917.
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 greenish molded/stone inlay piece depicting a stylized owl face integrated with an Egyptian hieroglyph-like motif.
The object is a small, irregularly shaped greenish fragment shown isolated against a neutral background. The top portion is dominated by an owl head rendered in a low-relief or incised style, with two almond-shaped eyes and a central beak/marking. Beneath the head, a vertical carved form suggests a combined hieroglyph/owl-sign layout, with the lower surface worn/abraded. No clear cartouches or royal titulary are visible. No readable hieroglyphic text lines are apparent beyond the owl-sign form itself. The piece appears to be made from a translucent or granular green material consistent with the catalogue attribution to beryl (though the photo alone cannot confirm the exact mineral).
Connections
Cross-references (4)
- Wikidata-Q Q116281012 tier-1
- Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- Inventory-Number 17.6.126 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- MET-Object 558127 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.