Bead

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Not currently on display at the V&A

Artist/Maker	Unknown (maker)
Place of origin	Egypt (made) Deir el-Bahari (found)

This piece was one of many items deposited during the New Kingdom at the mortuary temple of Deir el-Bahari, as a votive offering in the Hathor shrine within the temple complex. The turquoise colour typical of glazed composition was considered appropriate for this goddess, one of whose Epithets was 'Lady of Turquoise'.

Object details

Category	Africa
Object type	Bead
Materials and techniques	Glazed composition Glazing
Brief description	Cowroid bead, blue glazed composition, Deir el-Bahari, Egypt, New Kingdom, Dynasty Eighteen
Physical description	Blue glazed composition bead in the form of a cowrie shell, pierced longitudinally for attachment to either a necklace or bracelet string.
Styles	Egyptian New Kingdom
Credit line	Given by the Egypt Exploration Fund.
Object history	Found at Deir el-Bahari, 1903-4 excavation season. The object is one of a large number of votive objects dedicated to the goddess Hathor found at the site, originally deposited in the shrine to Hathor within the temple.
Summary	This piece was one of many items deposited during the New Kingdom at the mortuary temple of Deir el-Bahari, as a votive offering in the Hathor shrine within the temple complex. The turquoise colour typical of glazed composition was considered appropriate for this goddess, one of whose Epithets was 'Lady of Turquoise'.
Bibliographic references	E. Naville, The XIth Dynasty Temple at Deir el-Bahari. Part 1. Egypt Exploration Fund, 28th Memoir (London, 1907): 17. Possibly illustrated in E. Naville, The XIth Dynasty Temple at Deir el-Bahari III. Egypt Exploration Fund Memoir 32 (London, 1913): Pl. 25, 1:1 upper top. B. Adams, Egyptian Objects in the Victoria and Albert Museum Egyptology Today 3 (Warminster, 1977): 32.
Collection	Ceramics Collection
Accession number	1205A-1904

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Record created	June 24, 2009
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O279632/bead-unknown/

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