Knob from Chest inscribed for Tutankhamun

Place of OriginEgypt, reportedly from Tell el-Amarna

Dateabout 1374-1338 BCE

DimensionsH: 1 1/4 in. (3.3 cm) ; Max Diam: 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm)

MediumBlue Egyptian faience.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1925.646

Not on View

DescriptionCircular blue faience knob, originally inlaid (now lost). At the center is a cartouche containing the nomen of Tutankhamun accompanied by the epithet “Ruler of Southern Heliopolis.” Flanked by uraei wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, each with an ankh sign. A “gold” (nub) symbol appears below the cartouche, and a sun disc with ostrich feathers (associated with Osiris) crowns the inscription. The object is chipped at the edges and base, with restorations to damaged areas. Likely affixed to a box or cabinet lid, serving as part of a cord-based sealing system.

Label TextTutankhamun’s name is boldly inscribed at the center of this blue faience knob, a small but vital object once used to secure a chest or coffer. A cord would have been wrapped around this knob and a matching one to fasten the lid—possibly sealed with clay to prevent tampering. Flanking the cartouche are crowned uraei with signs of life, while a gold symbol and a sun disc with Osirian feathers amplify its protective power. Though reportedly found at Tell el-Amarna, the presence of the title “Ruler of Southern Heliopolis” ties this piece to the king’s later years in Thebes.Published ReferencesLiebert, Herman Wardwell, The History and Importance of Books, Toledo, Ohio, Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries, 1978, p. 5.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Desroches-Nobelcourt, C., Tutankhamen, New York, 1963, esp. p. 59 (coffer); p. 80, pl. XVI ("the painted box"); p. 86, fig. 44 (a small coffer); p. 107, pl. XXIII b. (a coffer); p. 184, fig. 106 (a wig box); p. 203, fig. 123 (terminal of a fan's handle); p. 211, pl. XLIII (an unguent jar); p. 232, pl. XLIXa (a coffer); p. 234, pl. L (a cabinet).

cf. Reeves, N., The Complete Tutankhamun, London, 1990, esp. p. 30 and "Boxes and Chests," pp. 188-193.