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© Bruce M. White, 2021.
ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Amulet of a Lion-Headed Goddess

Possible OriginThebes, Egypt, Africa
CultureEgyptian
PeriodLate Period
MediumFaience
Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation
Dimensions3 1/4 x 13/16 x 11/16 in. (8.2 x 2 x 1.7 cm)
Object number2018.010.572
Label TextIn ancient Egypt, amulets of animals, deities, and symbols were placed on the mummy or inserted in the mummy bandages to aid and protect the deceased. Certain funerary amulets were associated with parts of the mummified body. The Isis knot, when placed on the throat, protected the body (from left to right). Multiple heart amulets were laid on the upper body. The Djed-pillar amulet stabilized the throat and lower torso. Scarabs promised resurrection and were placed on the throat, chest, and stomach. The “Two-Fingers” amulet, which represents Osiris’s index and middle fingers, was positioned over the evisceration incision on the body. Amulets depicting the god of air Shu and the deity Wepwawet, “the Opener of the Ways,” were positioned on the lower body. Amulets of female sphinxes and lion-headed goddesses brought the protective power and ferocity of big cats.
Exhibition HistoryMichael C. Carlos Museum, Veneralia 2019 Senuseret Collection Preview, May 18, 2019
Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 95.
ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Jean-François Mignon, Aix-en Provence, France.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art