A Coptic Basalt Face Pendant, Coptic Period, ca. 3rd - 7th century CE
EA2613
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A small basalt pendant carved in the form of a stylized human face. The broad, oval visage is defined by prominent arched brows, large circular eyes with recessed pupils, a long straight nose and a small, horizontally delineated mouth. Incised bands across the forehead may represent arranged hair, a headband or a headdress. The deeply emphasized eyes give the face an especially arresting appearance. The pendant is carved in shallow relief, with a comparatively flat reverse and an integral, transversely pierced suspension lug above the head.
Such small figural pendants were worn as personal ornaments and may also have served an amuletic or protective purpose. The simplified features reflect the continuation and adaptation of earlier Egyptian and Roman traditions in late antique Egypt.
Medium: Basalt, gold
Dimensions: Pendant height: 1 inch (2.5 cm)
Condition: Intact, with minor surface wear and abrasions consistent with age. Strung as a pendant on a modern, adjustable 18K yellow gold chain.
Provenance: Nora Scott (1905 – 1994), Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (retired 1972), and acquired from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by deaccession. Gifted to L. Virginia Burton (1918–2009) Associate Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (retired 1977), and then by descent.
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