Egyptian Faience Amulet of Heh

$126.37

A very fine Egyptian turquoise faience fragmentary amulet of the god Heh, who the deity upon eternity and long life. Heh is depicted in his human form, which shows him in profile with his arms bent and extended outwards towards an arching palm branch. When depicted in this way, it is representative of the number one million, which to the Ancient Egyptians was synonymous with infinity. His other forms are a frog, or a man with a frog head. Details such as hair and clothing have been finely rendered and are still visible. This amulet is now incomplete, as the bottom portion is missing. The reverse remains smooth and unworked.

Date: Circa 1550-1069 BC
Period: New Kingdom Period
Condition: Damaged, with bottom half missing. Suspension loops might have been restored with artificial glue, a common practice for this kind of amulets.

SOLD

SKU: CS-185 Category: Tags: ,

The Egyptians wore amulets alongside other pieces of jewellery. They were decorative, but also served a practical purpose, being considered to bestow power and protection upon the wearer. Many of the amulets have been found inside the wrappings of mummies, as they were used to prepare the deceased for the afterlife.

To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.

Weight 0.52 g
Dimensions H 2.3 cm
Culture

Faience

Region

Egyptian Mythology

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum, item number 11.215.206