Vintage Gold-plated Charm Pendants on a Necklace, MMA 1976

These vintage gold-plated charms, comprising an owl, two Ma'at feathers, and two folded cloth symbols as part of the 1976 Metropolitan Museum of Art's Treasures of Tutankhamun Exhibit. They have recently been strung as a necklace using coin-shaped freshwater baroque pearls and gold-plated spacers.

The Pharaoh Owl was much respected and feared throughout Egypt. It was honored through mummification and sculpture and was used as the hieroglyphic symbol for the letter M. In addition, ancient Egyptians believed that the spirit of the deceased wanders at night in the air as a bird with a human head, much like an owl.

In honor of the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition that traveled to seven American cities between 1976 and 1979, the Metropolitan Museum of Art commissioned 100 pieces of commemorative jewelry duplicated from King Tut's tomb. The Met sent eight staff members to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to cast replicas directly from the artifacts, making these charms the most accurate reproductions ever created.

Medium: 24K gold electroplate, freshwater pearls 

Dimensions: Necklace length: 19 inches (48.26 cm)

Condition: The necklace is intact and in excellent condition overall.