|
A very finely modeled Ancient Egyptian turquoise faience amulet of an Ibis, sacred to the God Thoth, and dating to approximately 350 B.C.
The Ibis, a wading bird common along the Nile, is shown here in fine detail, sitting with neck arched back, its long curved beak resting on the feather of Maat. The feather of Maat represents truth and morality. In ancient Egyptian funerary art the heart of the deceased is often depicted weighed against the feather of Maat - if the heart was heavier it would be devoured by the mythical beast Ammit, the deceased then being unable to pass into the afterlife.
The piece is composed of two-tone faience, a technique employed from the 30th Dynasty to the Ptolemaic period.
Length: 22 mm.
Condition: Intact, Unrestored.
Provenance: Acquired from a house clearance in East Anglia, UK.
| 
