Ceremonial-Doll
Ceremonial-Doll
Object name: Ceremonial-Doll
Date: 3100-50 BC
Dimensions:
55 x 180 x 5 mm
Medium: Wood, paint
Object number: C00455
DescriptionThis flat wooden paddle shaped object with the remains of red and black paint is a doll.
One side has the faint remains of a painted figure of the hippopotamus fertility goddess Taweret, who protected women during childbirth.
The doll would originally have had a 'wig' of clay beads strung on cord attached to the head. Paddle dolls were a stylised depiction of a woman with an emphasis on the hips and pubic area. They were used as toys but had a ritualistic and protective function, particularly as a fertility symbol.
The item came from the collector and diplomat Henry Salt (1785-1827), British consul general in Egypt in 1815.
One side has the faint remains of a painted figure of the hippopotamus fertility goddess Taweret, who protected women during childbirth.
The doll would originally have had a 'wig' of clay beads strung on cord attached to the head. Paddle dolls were a stylised depiction of a woman with an emphasis on the hips and pubic area. They were used as toys but had a ritualistic and protective function, particularly as a fertility symbol.
The item came from the collector and diplomat Henry Salt (1785-1827), British consul general in Egypt in 1815.
In Theme(s)
Culture: Ancient Egyptian