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Clay figure of a dog
Terracotta figure of a dog. Nile silt clay, mould-made in three sections: front and two sides from the shoulders to back legs. The hollow feet have also been sealed with two slabs of clay. There is a small hole at the dog's rear, possibly to function as an air hole during firing.
There are traces of a plaster wash and red pigment on the surface. This small dog and would have been completely painted. It has a curled tail and pointed ears. A collar and either amulet or bell is only just distinguishable but typical of this form of figurine. The legs are modelled in two pairs so that the figure stands easily. This feature suggests a fairly late date, and comparable examples were found at the city of Karanis in the Fayoum, in a level dating from AD 250-350. It is possible, however, that they were manufactured from an earlier date.
Dogs were associated with the star Sirius (Egyptian Sothis), whose rising was linked with the flooding of the Nile. Such images therefore have associations with fertility and also, through Isis, with the afterlife. Terracotta figures of dogs are found as early as the Predynastic period in Egypt, but they become especially prevalent in the Roman period, when they adopt a classical form and manufacturing technique.
Height: 7.25 cm
Method of acquisition: Given (1911) by Gayer-Anderson, R. G. (Major)
Roman
Circa
100
-
Circa
395
Accession number: E.98.1911
Primary reference Number: 51325
Oldadmincategory: P
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Antiquities
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Clay figure of a dog" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/51325 Accessed: 2024-04-19 19:38:04
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/51325
|title=Clay figure of a dog
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-19 19:38:04|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/ant/ant14/E_98_1911.jpg"
alt="Clay figure of a dog"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Clay figure of a dog</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Accession Number: E.GA.2932.1943
Accession Number: GR.13.1890
Accession Number: C.27B-1962
Accession Number: C.27A-1962
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