LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.

The ibis was sacred to Thoth, the multifaceted god associated with wisdom, scribal functions, and learning. Wood and bronze examples, usually gilded, were often hollow and served as a coffin for mummified ibises or “dummy mummies” formed of straw and mud. With or without the mummy, the ibis would have been an offering to the god, whose cult became prevalent during the Late and Ptolemaic periods. For a similar example in Brooklyn (inv. no. 49.48a-b), see R. Fazzini, et al., Ancient Egyptian Art in the Brooklyn Museum and for one in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 53.185a), see p. 182 in C.R. Clark, “The Sacred Ibis,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 13, no. 5.