Description: Fragment of the top of a faience arched (loop) sistrum missing the handle portion. The front and back of the sistrum are identical featuring a uraeus at the base of the loop on top of a Hathor head with curled hair and wearing a broad collar. All features are modelled in low detail. The arch is pierced for 3 suspension rods.
Collector's Mark: the number 46.71 is written in black ink on the bottom where handle is missing.
Cultural Significance: The sistrum was a musical instrument classed as an idiophone which featured pieces of metal that struck each other making a jingle sound. For the Egyptians, the sistrum was primarily associated with religious rituals where the sistrum was used by women. In the pharaonic period the sistrum was associated with Hathor, while in the Graeco-Roman period it was associated with Isis worship. The arched sistrum was a later development of the instrument with the Naos form of sistrum being earlier.
Comparanda: Artemis Gallery Auction 3/8.2024 lot 18 (almost identical); Boston MFA 86.788; Toronto ROM 910.85.213; Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum RC-1731; Louvre E1781 AF 186; Metropolitan Museum of Art New York 17.190.1957.