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_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Faience Menat Amulet")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Faience Menat Amulet")
.jpg "Egyptian Faience Menat Amulet")
LOT 0484
Egyptian Faience Menat Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 in. (1.52 grams, 25 mm).
Amuletic pendant formed as keyhole-shaped plaque with decorative column to one face, ribbed suspension loop to the top.
ProvenanceEx early 20th century collection, London, UK.
LiteratureCf. Petrie, W.M.F., Amulets. Illustrated by the Egyptian Collection in University College, London, 1914, pl.III, items 33a-d.
FootnotesThe menat was a counterpoise that hung at the back of a heavy ornamental collar and was closely associated with the goddess Hathor. Amulets representing the counterpoise were thought to bring good luck, protect against evil spirits, and safeguard the wearer in the afterlife. Their Hathoric connection symbolised fertility and good health for women while representing virility for men.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Faience Bead with Eye of Horus and Ankh Symbols
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Barrel-shaped bead with blue glaze, wedjat and ankh in black glaze. 2.09 grams, 14 mm
From an early 20th century collection.
The wedjat-eye amulet is a representation of the healed eye of the god Horus, featuring both human and falcon elements. The name wedjat in ancient Egyptian means ‘the one that is sound.’ According to Egyptian mythology, Horus' eye was wounded or taken by the god Seth and restored by Thoth. The wedjat-eye amulet was thought to protect its wearer and bestow the power of recovery and regeneration onto them. It was very popular and used by both the living and the dead. -
Egyptian Faience Triad Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £222
Depicting in high relief the Osirian triad (Isis, Horus, Nephthys) standing side by side on an integral plinth against a dorsal pillar; Nephthys (right) and Isis (left) are shown frontally, wearing headdresses with their specific attributes, each holding the hands of the central Horus figure, shown naked and with the side-lock of youth; a ribbed loop at the top for suspension. 8.56 grams, 33 mm
From the collection of a Swedish noble family, 1920s.
Isis and Nephthys operate as complementary sister deities who guard both Osiris and the deceased through mourning, magical protection, and ritual lamentation, while Horus, the child of Isis, signifies renewal and legitimate kingship. On amulets, the triad translates into a compact visual statement of protection: the deceased is imagined as being held within the sisters’ magical and ritual care, while Horus embodies the successful outcome of that protection in the form of rebirth and continuity. -
Large Egyptian Carnelian Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,925
Naturalistically modelled, featuring detailed head and elytra, with suspension loop on the underside. 3.98 grams, 22 mm
Collection of a lady, circa 1940. Ex Mayfair gallery, London, UK. Ex an important Wiltshire, UK, collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13158-249420.
The scarab amulet was arguably the most ubiquitous symbol in ancient Egypt, representing rebirth, transformation, and protection. Modelled after the scarab beetle, which was associated with the sun god Khepri - believed to roll the sun across the sky - the amulet illustrated the cycle of life and regeneration. Scarabs were commonly placed with the deceased as funerary amulets to ensure safe passage into the afterlife. They also served as seals and personal charms, often inscribed with prayers, names, or protective formulas. Widely used from the early Middle Kingdom (c. 2050 BCE) onwards, scarab amulets reflect both spiritual beliefs and everyday practices in ancient Egyptian life.
