Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1300 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience In ancient Egypt, rich and poor alike adorned themselves with amulets and  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1300 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience In ancient Egypt, rich and poor alike adorned themselves with amulets and charms to protect against evil and to ensure good fortune. Such talismans were an integral part of daily life, shaped in gold, gems, and most commonly, the glass paste, faience. The sharp-beaked falcon head crowned with a sun disk on this miniature statue identifies it as the god Horus, all-seeing protector of the pharaoh. The blessings of Horus were thought to make one as powerful as pharoah himself, and to keep one safe from harm. What is most remarkable about this amulet is its energy: the god is rendered with the muscular power of sculpture on a much larger scale. Full of benevolent magic, it evokes the eternal mystery that is Egypt itself. - (PF.1965)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience In ancient Egypt, charms and amulets were an integral part of daily life.  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience In ancient Egypt, charms and amulets were an integral part of daily life. From pharaoh to peasant, all Egyptians protected themselves with talismans for luck, health, and good fortune. This unusual amulet depicts a bird, perhaps an ostrich, seated atop a circular disk that may represent the sun. According to legend, the ostrich danced each morning to greet the rising sun, and as such this little charm would represent eternal and joyous rebirth like a sunrise. Its double holes suggest it was strung in a beaded collar and worn about the neck. Though the world has changed in many ways since Egypt was in her glory, it cannot hurt to have the benevolent protection of its ancient magic. - (PF.1966)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: .75" (1.9cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This finely crafted  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: .75" (1.9cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This finely crafted turquoise faience charm is fashioned in the form of a hare. It may be a three dimensional representation of the biconsonantal hieroglyph “wn,” but it could also represent one of the many members of the Egyptian pantheon (such as the goddess Wennenet or the god Wennen). This hare is depicted with an almost leonine muscularity, especially in the treatment of the powerful looking haunches, which is all the more remarkable for the small scale on which it was carved. The execution of this sculpture in miniature would certainly have required painstaking attention to detail. - (PF.2950)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 1.75" (4.4cm) high x .75" (1.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience The  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 1.75" (4.4cm) high x .75" (1.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience The multiplicity of gods in the complicated ancient Egyptian pantheon frequently resulted in the merging of the identities of different gods into one form. This form existed without negating the identity of any of the gods whose identities were merged. The god Ptah-Sokar is an example of such a syncretized deity. Ptah was the creator god of Memphis (who is frequently shown as a mummiform man wearing a skull cap) and Sokar, the falcon-headed god of the Memphite necropolis. Because both gods had cult centers in Memphis and both were the patron gods of artisans, their identities were eventually merged into the composite form of Ptah-Sokar. This gray-green faience figure is profoundly interesting because it depicts a syncretized form of two deities that differs from the forms in which Ptah and Sokar are normally depicted. Ptah-Sokar is shown in the form of a naked, bow-legged dwarf surrounded by a dizzying array of symbols and attributes. The god stands atop two crocodiles with each foot placed atop one crocodile head. He holds a snake in each hand and perched on each of his shoulders rests a falcon. A scarab rests on the top of his head, and a winged goddess whose feet rest upon the overlapping tails of the crocodiles protects his back. - (PF.2952)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2000 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 1.375" (3.5cm) high x 1.125" (2.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Kingdom Medium: Diorite The ancient  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2000 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 1.375" (3.5cm) high x 1.125" (2.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Kingdom Medium: Diorite The ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was the seat of the intellect and performed the functions that we now attribute to the brain. The Egyptians believed that when a person died, Osiris would judge his or her soul before a tribunal of gods. The god Thoth would lead the deceased before a set of scales and weigh the heart against the feather of Ma'at, the personification of truth and order. If the deceased's heart balanced with the feather, he or she was judged to be "true of voice" and could proceed into the afterlife. If, however, the heart didn't balance, a monster, which stood beneath the scales, would devour it and the soul would be condemned to perish. Not surprisingly, the Egyptians took great care to preserve and protect the heart of the deceased. They would also provide the deceased with spells and charms, which would insure the desired verdict in the weighing of the heart. This lovely obsidian heart is rendered in the distinctively stylized form (which looks somewhat like a cross between a jar and an acorn) that the Egyptians employed in all of their representations of the heart, including the bi-consonantal sign ib. - (PF.2964)   « Less

Bes was one of the most popular gods in the Egyptian pantheon; he was believed to be a patron god of music and art as well as a protector of pregnant women. He was also held  More »

Bes was one of the most popular gods in the Egyptian pantheon; he was believed to be a patron god of music and art as well as a protector of pregnant women. He was also held to be a god of war. It was in this guise that he is frequently depicted in the Greco-Roman world. He is usually depicted as a dwarf with a face that is both leonine and human. Greco-Roman period images of the god, however, frequently show him as a more heroic looking figure brandishing a sword while on horseback. Bes was a very popular subject for amulets and appears to have been widely worshipped as a household deity. It seems that he was believed to be an easily accessible god who would benevolently listen to the prayers of the common man. He was not perceived to be as intimidating as the state gods such as Amun, Osiris, or Horus. This unique blue faience amulet depicts the god Bes as a squatting dwarf with his hands upon his knees. The most interesting feature of this sculpture is the four-sided frontal representation, which may indicate that the artist was trying to show Bes as being omniscient and ever watchful. - (PF.2983)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 1.75" (4.4cm) high x .75" (1.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Steatite The baboon was a  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 1.75" (4.4cm) high x .75" (1.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Steatite The baboon was a creature that was closely associated with the moon and gods of the moon. Baboons were kept as sacred animals in temples dedicated to moon gods and were believed to be the form that spirits of the dawn took after they sang a hymn to the rising sun. Baboons were sacred to the god Thoth, who is sometimes depicted in the form of one. They were also believed to play a role in the judgment of the deceased in the afterlife. A baboon reported the outcome of the weighing of the heart of the deceased to Thoth, who would record the results. This beautiful steatite amulet depicts a baboon squatting with his front paws raised, a pose indicative of adoration. He appears to support a stele, the inscription of which is largely eroded. This amulet was probably kept as a protective charm to invoke the protection of Thoth or another moon god. - (PF.2984)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 1.375" (3.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This small, delicate faience amulet was  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 1.375" (3.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This small, delicate faience amulet was found in a hyksos tomb in Israel and is demonstrative of the degree of influence the Egyptians had on their Asiatic invaders. Frequently, cultures, which came into contact with the ancient Egyptians, borrowed motifs from their artistic repertoire and religious iconography. The unmistakable figure of the god Bes stands at the far right corner of the amulet. Next to him is a figure, which exhibits either feline or canine features, and may be the god Anubis. The falcon headed deity in the center is perhaps the Heliopolitan sun god Ra, the god Horus, or Ra-horakhty. To the left of this central figure are two goddesses with feline features. The figure next to the center may be the goddess Sekhmet, and the deity on the far left is possibly the cat headed Bastet. One can easily imagine the amulet being worn or carried by the owner in order to invoke the protective power of these important and powerful deities to ward off maleficent forces and bring good luck. - (PF.2988)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 2.25" (5.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience The multiplicity of gods in the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 2.25" (5.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience The multiplicity of gods in the polytheistic ancient Egyptian pantheon frequently resulted in the merging of the identities of the different gods into one form. This form existed without negating the identities of any of the gods who were merged. The god Ptah-sokar is an example of this synchronization process. Ptah was the creator god of Memphis (who is frequently depicted as a mummiform man wearing a skull cap) and Sokar, the falcon-headed god of the Memphite necropolis. Because both gods had cult centers in Memphis and were patron gods of artisans, their identities were eventually merged into the syncretized form of Ptah-sokar. This green faience figure shows the god as a naked bow-legged dwarf surrounded with a number of symbolic attributes. The god stands with each foot atop the head of a crocodile, and a falcon is perched on each shoulder. A scarab rests on his head, and a winged goddess who wears the horned-disk headdress of Isis or Hathor protects his back. - (PF.2989)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 2.75" (7.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Thoth was one of the most important gods  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 2.75" (7.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Thoth was one of the most important gods in the Egyptian pantheon. He was believed to be the god of mathematics and writing. He was believed to be the patron god of scribes, and is frequently depicted carrying the writing utensils of a scribe and papyrus. Thoth was also considered to be a god of the moon, and in this incarnation, he is frequently depicted as a baboon. One of the god's most important roles, however, was as the god who leads the souls of the deceased to the hall of Osiris, where the heart of the deceased would be weighed and his or her fate decided. This beautiful faience amulet depicts Thoth in his most common iconographic form, that of an ibis-headed man. The god wears a kilt and strides forward on his left leg, a pose commonly employed in the depiction of standing figures. On his head is an atef crown. His hands are raised to the level of his chest, and he holds an unidentified attribute (perhaps an ibis effigy or a Ma'at feather) in both hands. This amulet was probably worn or carried to invoke the protective powers of the god. - (PF.2990)   « Less