ClassificationsAncient Nubian Art

Amulet of Amun

Place CreatedSudan, Africa

CultureNubian

PeriodNapatan

Date722-332 BCE

MediumSilver, gilding

Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund

Dimensions4 1/2 x 1in. (11.4 x 2.5 cm)

Object number2006.036.001

Label TextAmun, "the king of the gods", was worshipped by both the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Nubians. His cult center in Nubia at the "holy mountain" of Gebel Barkal was second in size only to the great temple of Amun at Karnak. As in Egypt, Amun was closely connected with kingship, and Nubian rulers were frequently called "beloved of Amun". This remarkable amulet would have undoubtedly been worn by a Nubian king or queen. Similar pendants have been recovered from the royal tombs at Kurru and Nuri in Sudan, and Nubian royalty is often depicted wearing similarly impressive decorations. On the back of the figure is a loop for a chain so that the amulet could be worn around the neck. The figure shows the god Amun with his crown surmounted by two ostrich plumes. At his neck he wears a pendant of the rising sun placed within a shrine. His broad hips and low-slung kilt are characteristic of similar Nubian figures. He is shown with his proper right leg advanced, unlike most Egyptian figures, in which the proper left leg steps forward. It is made of gilded silver, which reflects the belief that the bones of the gods were silver and their flesh gold.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - December 1, 2014
African Cosmos: Stellar Arts, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 31 - June 21, 2015
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, July 8, 2015 - Present
Published ReferencesAncient Treasures IV (New York: Antiquarium Ltd, 2006), 6.
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 26.
Marjorie M. Fisher, et al., Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2012), 126, figure 83.

ProvenanceSaid to be ex private collection, United Kingdom, acquired during diplomatic service in Sudan, early 1970s. Ex coll. Michael Hedqvist [Phoenix Ancient Art SA], Geneva, Switzerland, acquired from Swiss art market, 2001. With Joseph Coplin (1965-2022) and Robin Beningson [Antiquarium, Ltd.], New York, New York, from 2005. Purchased by MCCM from Antiquarium, Ltd.

Status

On view

Collections