Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • The Collection
  • Projects & Publications
  • Past Exhibitions

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Image

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 8 Next

Egyptian, Possibly from the sacred animal catacombs at Tuna el Gebel

Goddess Maat, 664-525 BCE

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Egyptian

Title

Goddess Maat

Year

664-525 BCE

Medium

Bronze

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • bronze

Dimensions

22.9 x 5.1 x 14.6 cm (9 x 2 x 5 3/4 inches)

Place

Possibly from the sacred animal catacombs at Tuna el Gebel

Type

  • Sculpture

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

1989.088

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ancient Egyptian Galleries

This depiction of Maat appears to be cast in three pieces: the altar, the figure, and the feather. Smooth, highly polished surfaces contrast with the concentrated detailing of the feather, wig, broad collar, and openwork altar.

The goddess embodying truth, balance, and proper action, Maat pervaded all aspects of Egyptian culture. Traditionally represented as a woman with an ostrich feather headdress, Maat here sits in a characteristic pose. Similar bronze figures of Maat suggest that this piece is incomplete, and was most likely part of a group composition in which the goddess was juxtaposed with a larger figure of the ibis of the god Thoth. Maat, therefore, would have been viewed from the side or back.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Goddess Maat with the accession number of 1989.088. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

RISD Museum

  •  Facebook
  •  Twitter
  •  Instagram
  •  Vimeo
  •  Pinterest
  •  SoundCloud

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Secondary

  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use