Bronze Counterpoise of a Menat

Culture: Egyptian

Period: 3rd Intermediate Period, 21st or 22nd Dynasty, 1085-713 B.C.

Material: Bronze

Dimensions: 11.1 cm high

Price: 2 800 Euro

Ref: 1309

Provenance: French private collection Bourgade-Maturana, acquired on 20 October 1977 from J.-P.- Chapelle, P. Perrin, D. Fromantin in Versailles. Accompanied by a copy of the original invoice and a French antiquities passport.

Condition: Feather crown of Anhor with missing parts, the surface with some incrustation, otherwise intact.

Description: Very artistically formed counterpoise of a bronze Menat. On the upper end two deities, to the right the god of hunting and war Onuris with a false beard, to his left his companion and wife, the lion-headed goddess Mehit with sun disk and uraeus. Below the counterpoise has the form of an usekh collar. The bronze plate with incised decoration, the bottom end with the typical rounding. The menat was a multi-row beads string, which was worn by women as a cult object in connection with the goddess Hathor. It is assumed that the menat was worn around the neck and was used as a rattle (music instrument). When used the counterpoise such as the present one served as a handle. Through the eyelet on the back the beads string was connected with the counterpoise. See a very similar model with Onuris and Mehit in the im Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva with the inventory number 23463. Mounted.