Feeding Cup

Feeding Cup

Period:Late Middle KingdomDynasty:Dynasty 12, late –13Date:ca. 1850–1700 B.C.Geography:From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, cemetery south-west of pyramid, "toilet basket II," deposited, not with burialMedium:Blue faience, paintDimensions:H. 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.); W. 8 cm (3 1/8 in.); D. 4 cm (1 9/16 in.)Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1944Accession Number:44.4.4

This little cup of faience was not found in a tomb, but nestled together with the figure of a crocodile (07.227.19) in a small basket deposited by itself in the ground among the tombs to the west of the pyramid of Amenemhat I at Lisht North. The person who made this deposit could have lived in one of the houses that had been built over the tombs in the cemetery on the south and west of the pyramid.

The shape of the cup permits milk to be fed to a baby. The cup is appropriately decorated with the beneficial deities and daimons otherwise found on the so-called "magic wands," thought to have served for the magical protection of infants (see 86.1.91). On this cup appears a walking lion, an upright standing lion, a long-necked mythical animal, a snake and a turtle.

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545936