Anubis Wall Relief, Seated Egyptian Jackal God with Hieroglyphs, 10.5 in New Attic no returns

Guardian of the Dead: an Anubis Wall Relief

Anubis sits alert in profile, his ears tilted up and his gaze fixed sternly ahead. The jackal-headed god appears with hieroglyphs beside him, and color details accent the figure. He seems to wait for instruction. Crushed stone and resin keep this Anubis wall relief light, and it is ready to hang. This Egyptian jackal god keeps watch over any wall.

Product Details

• Material: Crushed stone and resin with color details
• Dimensions: 10.5 in W x 7 in H x 0.5 in D
• Weight: 2.8 lbs
• Display: Ready to hang
• Product number: E-079SP

The Jackal God of Embalming

Anubis was called He who is in the place of embalming. In the myth of Osiris he helped Isis embalm her husband, which made him patron of embalmers. In the Old Kingdom he was the most important Egyptian funerary god. Later Osiris became lord of the underworld. Anubis then led the dead to Osiris.

Why a Jackal?

Jackals prowled the edges of cemeteries and dug at shallow graves. Egyptians answered that danger by making a jackal the guardian of the dead. Like would guard against like. The Egyptian jackal god therefore stands at the threshold of the tomb. A tiny electrum amulet at the Metropolitan Museum shows a jackal lying on a shrine.

Weighing the Heart

Anubis also tended the scales in the Hall of Two Truths. The heart was weighed against ma'at, often shown as a feather. A light heart passed on to a happy afterlife. This Egyptian wall hanging recalls that duty of judgment as well as burial. An Egyptian funerary god like Anubis protected the dead at every step.

Hanging the Relief

An Anubis wall relief makes a strong accent in a study, a library, or an entry hall. The profile pose and the clear hieroglyphs read well from across a room. As an Egyptian wall hanging it is light, at 2.8 lbs, and it needs only a single sturdy hook. The color details on this Egyptian wall hanging add warmth to the crushed stone and resin. The Anubis wall relief also suits a collector who enjoys the symbols of the afterlife. Its calm, upright pose makes this Anubis wall relief feel dignified rather than grim. Few figures combine the roles of Egyptian jackal god and Egyptian funerary god so clearly.

At 10.5 in wide and 2.8 lbs, this Anubis wall relief is ready to hang. It suits a study, a library, or a collector's wall. Pair it with the kneeling Anubis statue and explore our Egyptian Art Collection.

In the Ptolemaic period the Greeks merged Anubis with Hermes as Hermanubis. They called his cult city Cynopolis, the city of dogs.

For More Reading

• Follow Anubis from embalmer to guide of the dead. Anubis - Wikipedia
• Look at a tiny gold-silver amulet of a jackal on a shrine. Amulet of Anubis on his Shrine - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• See a bronze Anubis receiving a kneeling worshipper. A Worshipper Kneeling Before the God Anubis - Walters Art Museum