A large Egyptian Carnelian Wedjet Amulet, Middle Kingdom, ca. 2070 - 1600 BCE

Without doubt, the best-known of all protective amulets is the wedjat, literally 'the sound one', referring to the eye of the falcon-headed Horus after it had been plucked out during one of his interminable battles with Seth and then healed by Thoth. This Horus was the celestial falcon and great creator god whose right eye was the sun and left eye the moon. It is generally supposed that the wedjat was the moon eye, which was 'injured' as it waned and 'restored' as it waxed each month, but the term might just as well apply to the sun eye, the 'sound ' one as opposed to the 'injured' one. When Osiris rose to pre-eminence as the god of the dead, the wedjat became identified with the eye of his son Horus. According to the Osiris myth, Horus offered the healed eye to his dead father and so powerful a charm was it that it restored him to life. The wedjat is probably found in greater numbers on mummies than any other amulet, but, it was also worn in life. This very large example is carved from fiery orange-red carnelian associated with blood, thus connecting the protective powers of the amulet with energy, dynamism and power.

Bibliography: Andrews, Carol, 1994. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. Austin: University of Texas. p. 43-4.

Condition:  Intact and in excellent condition overall.  A large and impressive example.

Dimensions: Length: 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm)

Provenance: Estate of the artists James McBey (12/23/1883 - 12/1/1959) and Marguerite McBey (1905 – 1999) , London, England, by descent to family, thereafter private Brooklyn collection.

Marguerite Huntsberry Loeb McBey was an American painter and photographer. Born in Philadelphia, she was educated in Switzerland and at the Sorbonne in Paris. She later studied bookbinding at the Ecole et Ateliers d'Art Decoratif in Paris, and during this period she had an affair with artist Oscar Kokoschka. After returning from Paris, she worked as a photographer in New York City and opened a bookbinding business.