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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
Eye Idol
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
ClassificationsAncient Near Eastern Art

Eye Idol

AAT Object Form/Functionidols
Possible OriginAsia
PeriodChalcolithic, Uruk Period
Date3500-3000 BCE
MediumGlass (? modern)
Credit LineAnonymous gift in memory of Genevieve Arnold
Dimensions3/8 x 11/16" (1 x 1.7 cm)
Object number2007.017.001
Label TextTo help ward off all the misfortunes in the world, ancient Mesopotamians created a wide variety of protective charms and images. Some of the most mysterious of these are the enigmatic cult objects from northern Mesopotamia known as eye idols, or spectacle idols. Their exact purpose is unknown, but they may have been used to protect the owner from the "evil eye" or to represent a particular deity. The abstract images come in a variety of sizes and materials. This example is exceptional in both its small size and its beautiful, translucent stone.
Exhibition HistoryRecent Acquisitions, Michael C. Carlos Museum, March 31 - September 10, 2009
Published ReferencesMichael C. Carlos Museum Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 29.
ProvenanceEx private collection, Germany. Purchased by donor from Howard Nowes Ancient Art, May 17, 2007.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art