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Heart Amulet

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
Jewelry

Glass and faience were both difficult materials for making jewelry.


Eighteenth Dynasty artisans frequently created glass reproductions of traditional metal and stone forms. These early glassworkers, still perfecting their skills, often reduced intricate details like inscriptions to simple lines.

Late Eighteenth Dynasty faiencemanufacturers produced mold-made rings inscribed with royal names. Because these pieces were too fragile to have been worn, they were most likely distributed as royal keepsakes at state occasions.
MEDIUM Glass
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1479–1292 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 18
    PERIOD New Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 7/8 x 7/8 x 7/16 in. (2.2 x 2.2 x 1.1 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.1260E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1848, acquired by Henry J. Anderson; March 6, 1877, gift of Dr. Henry Anderson, E. Ellery Anderson, or Edward H. Anderson, to the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; 1937, loaned by the New-York Historical Society to the Brooklyn Museum; September 1948, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Heart amulet of opaque black glass with a festoon pattern of white and yellow glass. The piece is pierced from top to bottom for suspension. There is a piece of copper wire (original?) looped at both ends in this hole.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Heart Amulet, ca. 1479–1292 B.C.E. Glass, 7/8 x 7/8 x 7/16 in. (2.2 x 2.2 x 1.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1260E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.37.1260E_37.868E_erg456.jpg)
    IMAGE group, CUR.37.1260E_37.868E_erg456.jpg.
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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