LOT 0526

Egyptian Hardstone and Faience Amulets and Other Items

LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C. AND LATER

9 x 6 7/8 in. (773 grams total, 23 x 17.5 cm).

A group of amulets in a glazed wooden frame, comprising:

1 –stone Sma amulet
Although rather gruesome, as it represents an animal’s windpipe and lungs, this amulet symbolised the benign concepts of unity and ensured the integrity of the deceased’s body, which was deemed essential for entry into the Afterlife.

Cf. Reisner, G.A., Catalogue général des antiquitéségyptiennes du Musée du Caire, Nos.12528-13595, Vol. II, Amulets, Cairo, 1958, p.52, no. 5582, and pl.III, for a similar black stone example.

2 – Tawaret amulet
The goddess Tawaretis a female hippopotamus with the arms and legs of a lion and the back and tail of a crocodile. Despite her fearsome appearance, Tawaret was a household deity and protector of women in childbirth.

Cf. Tinius, I., Altägypten in Braunschweig. Die Sammlungen des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums und des StädtischenMuseums, Wiesbaden, 2011, p.130, no.216, for similar.

3 – Bes amulet
Bes emerged as one of ancient Egypt’s most favoured protective deities during the New Kingdom period and beyond. Despite his intimidating appearance, Bes served as the guardian and defender of pregnant women and children and was also thought to protect them from snakes.

Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Amulets. Illustrated by the Egyptian Collection in University College, London, 1914, pl. XXXIII 188e, for a similar example.

4 – faience Pataikos amulet
Pataikos was first mentioned by the historian Herodotus, who refers to dwarf-like representations of Ptah. The name is still used today. These diminutive amulets symbolise Ptah’s immense magical power and protect the wearer from dangerous creatures such as snakes and crocodiles.

Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Amulets. Illustrated by the Egyptian Collection in University College, London, 1914, pl. XXXI, 176c, for a similar small example.

5 – three hardstone heart amulets
According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, the heart (ib) was considered to be the centre of intelligence, emotions, and behaviour, as well as the storehouse of an individual's memories. During the Weighing of the Heart ceremony in the afterlife, the heart could advocate for the deceased and account for their lifetime of actions before Osiris. For this reason, heart amulets were placed on the mummy to safeguard the organ and ensure a favourable outcome during judgment.

Cf. Andrews, C., and van Dijk, J., Objects for Eternity: Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection, Mainz am Rhein, 2006, p.128, no. 2.34b, for a similar brown jasper heart amulet.

6 – faience double falcon amulet
This uncommon amulet represents two falcons wearing sun disc headdresses. One falcon may represent Horus, the god of the sky, war, and protection; the other perhaps another falcon deity such as Montu. Alternatively, they may be two ba-birds, representing an element of the deceased’s spirit, similar to our concept of soul.

Cf. Camino, L., Papier-Lacostey, C., Collections égyptiennes du musée Antoine Vivenel de Compiègne, Compiègne, 2007, p.209, no.259, for a comparable amulet.

7 – Djed pillar
The djed pillar symbolised the concepts of 'enduring' and 'stability' and was a common funerary amulet from the Old Kingdom onwards. It was first associated with the gods Ptah and Sokar but later became a symbol of Osiris, representing the god's backbone. In this context, the djed pillar appears in Chapter 155 of the Book of the Dead, concerned with the deceased's resurrection.

Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p.83, no.84c, for an example with similar detailing.

8 – carnelian wedjat eye
The wedjat-eye amulet represents 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.

Cf. Lacovara, P., and Markowitz, Y.J., Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester MA, 2020, p.113, no.19, for a similar carnelian example.

9 – faience Shu amulet
This Egyptian faience amulet is a schematic depiction of the god Shu, depicted kneeling with his hands upraised, supporting a sun disc. According to Egyptian mythology, Shu was sneezed out by the creator god Atum, initiating the universe’s creation. Shu represents the air that separates the sky and the earth. He is also responsible for holding up the sky, represented by the goddess Nut, thus allowing the cyclical journey of the sun to take place. In the context of the afterlife, Shu allowed the deceased to traverse unhindered on their journey towards rebirth. Shu amulets were placed on the lower part of the deceased's torso, between the mummy bandages. Shu could also serve as a magical amulet at the birth of the living, symbolising a protector of new life.

Cf. Camino, L., Papier-Lacostey, C., Collections égyptiennes du musée Antoine Vivenel de Compiègne, Compiègne, 2007, p.174, no.193, for a comparable amulet.

10 – two faiencewedjat eye amulets
Both represent less common variants of the wedjat amulet. On these, a series of small front-facing uraei run across the top of the amulet, with a larger uraeus depicted in profile on either side of the eye.

Cf. World Museum Liverpool, M11893aa, for a similar, though less well-defined example.

11 – stone wedjat eye
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Amulets. Illustrated by the Egyptian Collection in University College, London, 1914, pl. XXIV139e, for a similar example.

12 - carnelian Bes amulet
This somewhat cursorily fashioned example of a Bes amulet may date to around a century before the New Kingdom.

Cf. Thomas, G.A., A Handbook of the Egyptian Collection (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1923), p. 130, for a similar example.

13 – carnelian poppy pendant
Amulets in the form of poppies were used to heal and alleviate pain and to ward off death. These amulets were also linked to Osiris, the Egyptian deity of agriculture, death, and the afterlife.

Cf. Lacovara, P., and Markowitz, Y.J., Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester MA, 2020, p.145, no.2, for a necklace composed of similar examples.

14 – faience uraeus amulet
The uraeus represents a rearing cobra and symbolises royal power and authority, as well as the Lower Egyptian goddess Wadjet. The uraeus amulet was worn to ensure the protective power that was granted to the pharaoh.

Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Amulets. Illustrated by the Egyptian Collection in University College, London, 1914, pl. IV58f, for this amulet type.

15 – two lapis lazuli djed pillars
Cf. Tinius, I., Altägypten in Braunschweig. Die Sammlungen des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums und des StädtischenMuseums, Wiesbaden, 2011, p.166, no.323, for a similar example of the taller pillar; Lacovara, P., and Markowitz, Y.J., Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester MA, 2020, p.115, no.1, for a similar example of the shorter pillar.

Ex H.M. Barker.
Private collection, England.