Art Institute of Chicago

Plaque Depicting a Quail Chick

Egyptian

Date

Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE)

Medium

Limestone

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Remarkable for its lifelike detail, this plaque depicts a fledgling quail, better known to literate Egyptians as the hieroglyph for the sound w. Plaques like this one that show animals, deities, and royalty were a relatively late addition to the ancient Egyptian artistic repertoire, first appearing around 664 BCE. Their function remains a mystery—they may have been used as sculptors’ models in the training of artists, dedicated in temples as gifts to the gods, or perhaps both.

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