Hand of a Seated Deity

Unknown

ca. 1550–1070 B.C. · Granite · Egyptian Art

This larger-than-life left hand is sculpted granite or granodiorite and is probably a fragment from a divine statue. The position of the fingers are traditional for divine statuary and suggests that they once held an ankh sign (for comparisons, see the Museum’s statues of the lion goddess Sakhmet). The ankh sign symbolized life as one of the benefits dispensed by the gods and goddesses.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1550–1070 B.C.

Medium

Granite

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020