Art Institute of Chicago
Ball Bead
Egyptian
- Date
- Middle Kingdom–New Kingdom (about 2055–1069 BCE)
- Medium
- Faience
- Culture
- Egypt
- Department
- Arts of Africa
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
Ancient Egyptians presented ball beads as votive gifts to the goddess Hathor, who was associated with beauty. In other contexts, these spherical beads could be strung on necklaces singly or in sets, or worn as hair ornaments. The hollow beads are made from Egyptian faience, a ceramic composed of quartz, an alkali, lime, and a colorant. In this example, painted black stripes accentuate the vibrant blue hue that was created by adding ground copper to the faience.
The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Linked open data
Authority identifiers that link this record into the wider web of cultural data — stable references you can follow to the source.
- Object type
- AAT300209261
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Art Institute of Chicago and other institutions.
String of Beads
Art Institute of Chicago
Beads on a pin
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Bead-like Ornament
Getty Museum
Bead-like Ornament
Getty Museum
Bead-like Ornament
Getty Museum
Bead necklace
Minneapolis Institute of Art
String of Beads
Cleveland Museum of Art
Gold Beads in the Shape of Cowrie Shells
Getty Museum
Fragment of a Necklace
Cleveland Museum of Art
102 Beads
Art Institute of Chicago
Bead in the Form of a Shell
Cleveland Museum of Art
Bead
Art Institute of Chicago