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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
  • Place Collected: Egypt
  • 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)
    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
    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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