ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Fish Amulet

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodMiddle Kingdom

Date1980-1760 BCE

MediumAmethyst, modern gold

Credit LineMohamed Farid Khamis/Oriental Weavers Fund

Dimensions5/8 x 1 1/8 in. (1.6 x 2.9 cm)

Object number2005.015.002

Label TextThe fish represented is Synodontis batensoda, a type of Nile catfish that swims upside down at the surface of the water. For the ancient Egyptians, amulets of the fish protected against drowning and were highly prized and intricately crafted. Fish amulets reached the height of their popularity in the Middle Kingdom and were made of a variety of precious stones and metals.
Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - Present
Published ReferencesPiasa Paris, Archeologie (September 28 - 29, 2004), 109, number 545.
Peter Lacovara and Jasper Gaunt, "From Pharaohs to Emperors: Egyptian, Near Eastern & Classical Antiquities at Emory," Minerva 17 (January/February 2006): 9-16.
Emory Report 62 (September 21, 2009).

Terms

ProvenancePurchased by MCCM from Piasa, Paris, September 29, 2004, lot 545.

Status

On view

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