Wadjet-Eyes and Papyrus Stalks, ca. 945–718 B.C.E. or later. Faience, 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 in. (5.7 x 6.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.93. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.93_mummychamber.jpg)
Wadjet-Eyes and Papyrus Stalks, ca. 945–718 B.C.E. or later. Faience, 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 in. (5.7 x 6.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.93. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.93_wwgA-3.jpg)
Wadjet-Eyes and Papyrus Stalks
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Living persons wore only one or a few amulets at a time, but mummies usually bear many amulets. The Ma’at amulet (no. 2) and heart scarabs (nos. 1, 3, 11), which occurred in many forms, guaranteed a successful judgment of the dead. The amulets of a hand (no. 8), lungs and a windpipe (no. 12), and wadjet-eyes (i.e., “healthy” eyes; no. 4) protected those parts of the body and also had connotations of resurrection and the unity or integrity of the mummy. The enigmatic aper amulet (no. 13) takes the form of the hieroglyph meaning “to be equipped,” perhaps in reference to the mummy’s preparation. The two crowns (nos. 5, 6) were symbols of power. The Heh insignia (no. 7), like the popular ankh-sign, denoted eternal life. Among the living, the frog (no. 9) and possibly also the hare (no. 10) suggested fertility. The amulets of the Four Sons of Horus (no. 15) perhaps served, as they did with canopic jars, to protect various organs of the body.
MEDIUM
Faience
DATES
ca. 945–718 B.C.E. or later
PERIOD
Third Intermediate Period
DIMENSIONS
2 1/4 x 2 3/8 in. (5.7 x 6.1 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
08.480.93
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1893, acquired by Armand de Potter of Belgium and New York, NY; 1905, inherited from Armand de Potter by Amy Beckwith (Mrs. Aimee S. de Potter) of New York, NY and Asheville, NC; 1908, purchased from Amy Beckwith by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
CAPTION
Wadjet-Eyes and Papyrus Stalks, ca. 945–718 B.C.E. or later. Faience, 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 in. (5.7 x 6.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.93. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.93_mummychamber.jpg)
IMAGE
installation, Egypt Reborn: Mummy Chamber Installation (2011), CUR.08.480.93_mummychamber.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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