Wadjet-Eye Amulet
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
Very high-quality and expensive faience amulets were made in all periods. In this amulet, the dwarf god Pataikos strangles snakes while standing on two crocodiles. A scarab, a beetle associated with the sun god, rests on his head. He is flanked by Isis and Nephthys, the wife and sister of Osiris. The back of the amulet is a ba-bird, part of the soul of the deceased. This amulet, worn with a cord around the neck, protects the deceased from snakes and crocodiles in the afterlife. Pataikos has connections to the dwarf god Bes and to the god Horus the child, who also stands on crocodiles. But he seems to be a separate entity.
MEDIUM
Faience
DATES
664–332 B.C.E.
PERIOD
Late Period
DIMENSIONS
2 5/8 x 1 7/8 x 5/16 in. (6.7 x 4.8 x 0.8 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
08.480.129
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Pale blue faience divine-eye as amulet. Conventional type with design repeated on opposite side. Pierced horizontally.
Condition: Minor chips. Good workmanship.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Wadjet-Eye Amulet, 664–332 B.C.E. Faience, 2 5/8 x 1 7/8 x 5/16 in. (6.7 x 4.8 x 0.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.129_tlf.jpg)
IMAGE
installation, To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum Broooklyn Installation (2010),
CUR.08.480.129_tlf.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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