Egyptian
An Egyptian turquoise glazed composition double-sided amuletic plaque set in an Egyptian Revival gold swivel ring, Third Intermediate Period, circa 1070 - 664 BC
Glazed composition and gold
Width: 1.8 cm; ring size: O
Mould-made, with a figural scene on one side depicting the goddess Isis seated and suckling the infant Horus, amongst the marshes at Khemmis. The reverse with impressed hieroglyphs reading 'may...
Mould-made, with a figural scene on one side depicting the goddess Isis seated and suckling the infant Horus, amongst the marshes at Khemmis. The reverse with impressed hieroglyphs reading 'may the divine mother be a protection amulet'.
Provenance
French private collection, the gold swivel ring mounted in the early 20th centuryUK private collection, acquired circa 2000
Literature
Isis was the mother goddess of the ancient Egyptian religion. According to mythology, when pregnant she hid amongst a thicket of papyrus reeds at Khemmis to give birth to Horus in safety. In the Third Intermediate Period, the image of Isis and Horus amongst the marshes at Khemmis becomes increasingly popular. There is a fragmentary glazed steatite plaque with the same subject in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 30.8.239.1
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