The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2025

Hedgehog

c. 1391–1353 BCE
(1540–1069 BCE), Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BCE)
steatite, originally glazed
Overall: 1.7 x 1.8 cm (11/16 x 11/16 in.)
Guerdon S. Holden Memorial Fund 1975.24
Location: 107 Egyptian

Did You Know?

Hedgehogs were common on amulets in the New Kingdom (1500s–1000s BC) and can also be seen on the backs of seals and scaraboids.

Description

This hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) stands in the round on an oval base, with openwork defining the legs. The carving is delicate and spirited. The face features large, round eyes; widely spaced, short ears; bulging cheeks; and a protruding snout. A tiny tail hangs at the rear. Crosshatching on the back represents the animal's spines. The design on the base begins at the head with a winged sun disk with pendant uraei. Below is a cluster of hieroglyphic signs, including an ankh-sign, a falcon with a sun disk, a hoe, and a maat-feather. A neb-sign fills the balance below.

The significance of the hedgehog has multiple theories. As a hibernating animal, it may have associated with the powers of self-renewal and resurrection. Another lies in the animal's defensive strategy of inflating itself into a ball and projecting its spines, a posture of obvious apotropaic significance. Lastly, Egyptian folklore maintained that hedgehog amulets provided protection against snake bites, a belief grounded in the animal's natural resistance to poison.
  • 1975-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1975.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63, no. 2 (1976). no. 5 www.jstor.org
    Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 296; Mentioned: p. 296-297
  • The Year in Review for 1975, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February-7 March 1976).
  • {{cite web|title=Hedgehog|url=false|author=|year=c. 1391–1353 BCE|access-date=22 March 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1975.24