Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

White Crown as Amulet

ca. 664–30 B.C.E.

1 of 2

Object Label

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.

Caption

White Crown as Amulet, ca. 664–30 B.C.E.. Faience, 1 1/16 x 7/16 in. (2.7 x 1.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.580.51. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

White Crown as Amulet

Date

ca. 664–30 B.C.E.

Period

Late Period to Ptolemaic Period

Geography

Place made: Egypt

Medium

Faience

Classification

Accessory

Dimensions

1 1/16 x 7/16 in. (2.7 x 1.1 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father Charles Edwin Wilbour

Accession Number

16.580.51

Frequent Art Questions

  • The label says that 5 is a "Red Crown" and 6 is a "White Crown," but they're both blue. What makes them red and white?

    Though Egyptologists refer to the Red, White, and Blue crowns by their colors, it is the shape that actually defines the type. The names come from what color the crowns the king actually wore would have been.
    Number 5, the red, reed crown is a symbol of Lower Egypt. Number 6, the white, leather crown is a symbol of Upper Egypt. When worn together, like pharaohs often did, they symbolize a united Egypt. The pharaoh could be referred to as the Lord of the Two Lands, meaning Upper and Lower Egypt.

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.