Image Details
Kenneth Graetz/Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC
Chalice fit for a queen. Tewosret, who ruled Egypt for only two years, late in the second millennium B.C., had her cartouche engraved on the foot of this diminutive gold chalice. Less than 4 inches high, the vessel displays lotus leaves, emblems of Upper Egypt (the Nile Valley) on the bowl, while papyrus umbrels, which recall Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta), circle the base. Together, these two plants symbolize all Egypt.