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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
  • Place Collected: Egypt
  • 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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