Egyptian Gold Ba-Bird Amulet

LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.

5/8 in. (0.38 grams, 15 mm).

Finely detailed depiction of a human-headed ba-bird with outspread wings and the one preserved claw holding a shen ring.

Provenance

From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.

Literature

Cf. Wilkinson, A., Ancient Egyptian Jewellery, London, 1971, for an example of a similar form.

Footnotes

In ancient Egyptian religion, the ba is one of the principal aspects of the human soul, along with the ka and the akh. It is often depicted in bird form, symbolising the soul's mobility after death.

CONDITION

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LOT 0460