Faience

Ushabti of Queen Henuttawy

Ushabti of Queen Henuttawy

Light blue faience ushabti of Queen Henuttawy wife of Pinedjem I. One column of painted inscription down front of body; painted flail grasped in each hand. At knees glaze is cracked or more probably the ushabti has been broken and put together. It depicts a small mummiform figure. Arms are crossed opposite, right over left,...

Winged Goddess Nut Amulet

Winged Goddess Nut Amulet

Blue glazed faience composition amulet of Nut, the goddess of the sky, depicted with outstretched wings, but similar representations are also known for the goddess Isis. This kneeling woman is a goddess with protective outspread wings. On her head are cows’ horns and a sun disk, which are elements that could be worn by various...

Hedgehog Cosmetic Pot

Hedgehog Cosmetic Pot

This small faience vessel in the shape of a hedgehog was most likely a perfume or cosmetic vessel. Texts and images tell us that both men and women wore eye makeup and applied perfume. Perfume was associated with the divine in ancient Egypt and the presence of a deity is sometimes signaled by a sweet...

Egyptian Faience Hedgehog Figurine

Hedgehog Amulet

Faience hedgehog amulet with a white core and turquoise and black coating. Hedgehog-shaped objects of the most diverse types have been present in Egypt since the Predynastic Period. Images of hedgehogs were painted in tombs of the Old Kingdom as decoration on the bows of boats. It was also used in the production of small,...

Statuette of the god Khnum

Amulet of the god Khnum

Blue-green faience amulet depicting the god Khnum or Amun. In ancient Egypt the ram was revered for its procreative abilities and as a symbol of virility. Its cult has been attested since the beginning of Egyptian civilization. The ram was associated with different deities: Khnum in Elephantine, Amun in Thebes, Herishef in Herakelopolis and Banebdjedet...

Egyptian Faience Statuette of a Hippopotamus

Faience Statuette of a Hippo

This statuette of a hippo was molded in faience, a crushed quartz glazed and fired at a relatively low temperature. Copper salts in the glaze impart the bright blue or blue-green color so characteristic of faience objects. Over the animal’s naturalistic shape, the craftsman painted lily plants that appear as a giant tattoo. Small sculptures...

Amulet of a Papyrus Column

Amulet of a Papyrus Column, Wadj

The Wadj amulet (also known as the papyrus column or scepter) is an Ancient Egyptian amulet in the shape of a papyrus stem. These amulets were made out of turquoise feldspar, as is indicated in the Book of the Dead. This faience amulet represents a papyrus column. Incised lines on the umbel delineate the leaves....

Amulet depicting the goddess Heqet

Amulet of the goddess Heqet

The frog raises its head, while its legs, tense and nervous, are ready to jump. The shiny faience vividly reproduces the moist skin of this amphibian, it was the sacred animal of the goddess Heqet, protector of births. Amulets in the shape of frogs were produced throughout the Pharaonic period and in very different materials....

Aten cartouche

Aten Cartouche Amulet

Amulet in the shape of a cartouche. The glaze is a deep cobalt blue. Two holes at either end enter on the edge and exit on the back of the amulet near the edge. The cartouche is one of the two cartouches used for the Aten and is translated: Ra-Horakhty lives, rejoicing in the horizon....

Wadjet Eye Amulet

Wadjet Eye Amulet

One of the most popular amulets in ancient Egypt, the wadjet eye amulet represents the healed eye of the god Horus. It depicts a combination of a human and a falcon eye, since Horus was often associated with a falcon. Its ancient Egyptian name, wadjet, means “the one that is sound (again).” In Egyptian mythology...