The wedjat, as the Eye of Horus, is one of the most popular amulets of ancient Egypt. The amulet combines elements of both human and falcon ocular imagery, as Horus was often depicted as a falcon. Its name comes from the ancient Egyptian ‘wḏꜣt’, meaning “the one that is complete”. The wedjat was highly apotropaic and associated with a number of Egyptian myths. The eye depicted could be either left or right, representing different imagery. Horus’ left eye was the sun and the right eye was considered the moon. In one creation myth, Horus’ eye was injured or stolen by the god Seth and then restored by Thoth. Hence the wedjat eye was thought to possess healing powers and symbolise regeneration. This healing and regenerative association is further enhanced by the properties of the lunar eye of Horus. As it waxes and wanes like the moon, it is thought to bring health and safety to its wearer. In another myth, Horus presents his healed eye to his father Osiris, to help him pass safely into his afterlife. Hence wedjat eye amulets were commonly placed within mummy wrappings to help the dead to help them pass safely into the afterlife.
For the Ancient Egyptians, the deep blue colour of lapis lazuli was associated with the night sky and the primordial Goddess Nut, and was believed to possess apotropaic powers in the afterlife. The stone was not native to Egypt, rather imported at a great expense from the Near East and used for the manufacture of fine artefacts such as this amulet.
Walter Thomas Gaze Cooper was a highly celebrated musician, qualifying as both a teacher and performer from the Royal Academy of Music. He founded the Nottingham Symphony Orchestra in 1933 (as the Midland Conservatory of Music orchestra), whom he conducted for over 40 years, and composed an extensive variety of concertos and symphonies as well as an opera in his lifetime. Alongside an accomplished career in music, he cultivated an extensive and highly respected collection of Egyptian, Chinese and Greek antiquities. The archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler was known to speak of rare artefacts by saying that ‘there are only two of its kind, one in the British Museum and the other in the Gaze Cooper collection.’
To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings: Ancient Egyptian Gods.
