An Egyptian Carnelian Wedjat eye Pendant, New Kingdom, 18th - 19th Dynasty, ca. 1550 - 1290 BCE
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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 on mummies in greater numbers than on any other amulet, but it was also worn in life. This striking example is carved from translucent orange-red carnelian, a gemstone the Egyptians prized for its power to energize the body and ward off harm.
Bibliography: Andrews, Carol, 1994. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. Austin: University of Texas. p. 43-4.
Medium: Carnelian
Dimensions: Pendant width: 1/2 inch (1.3 cm). Strung on a modern 18K yellow gold chain adjustable up to 18 in / 45.7 cm.
Condition: The eye is intact and in excellent condition. It has been modern strung as a pendant.
Provenance: Dr. Nora Scott (July 14, 1905 – April 4, 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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