LOT 0067

Graeco-Egyptian Gold Swivel Ring with Wedjat-eye

CIRCA 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.

7/8 in. (1.10 grams, 22.15 mm overall, 18.22 x 18.65 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 15.61, Japan 15)).

Slender wire hoop with ends coiled round the shank; swivel-mounted hollow-formed wedjat-eye forming the bezel.

Acquired from Derek Content, 1 October 1983.
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.

Accompanied by an original invoice from Derek Content, dated 1 October 1983.

Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 2, for type.

The wedjat-eye amulet represents the healed eye of the god Horus and embodies both human and falcon features. The name wedjat in ancient Egyptian means ‘the one that is sound’. According to Egyptian mythology, the god Seth wounded or took Horus' eye, and Thoth later restored it. The wedjat-eye amulet was believed to protect its wearer and bestow healing and regenerative qualities. It was a popular amuletic symbol worn by both the living and the dead and was reproduced in precious metals, stone, and faience.