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| Title | amulet of the ibis of Thoth | |
| Collection | Artworld: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts | |
| Date | 650-342 BCE | |
| Description | In this glass amulet the details of the head, beak and the tail are carefully rendered and there is a suspension loop on the back. A small stump in front of the claws is all that remains of a feather of maat (truth). The tip of the beak is missing, otherwise the condition is excellent. | |
| Description Source | Helen Coleman | |
| Cultural Context | Egyptian | |
| Id Number Current Accession | 725 | |
| Location Creation Site | Misr | |
| Location Current Repository | Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts | |
| Subject | jewellery, amulet | |
| Measurements | 38 x 27 mm | |
| Context | Enormous numbers of amulets symbolising various deities have survived from Ancient Egypt, where they were favoured as votive gifts at temples and shrines, or were strung on necklaces for personal adornment and more especially for protection. Such amulets were particularly common in the Late Period and the commonest materials used were faience and glazed steatite. Glass was relatively uncommon, and was reserved for choice examples of amulets, as in the present instance. Thoth was the god of wisdom and scribe of the gods, and is often represented in the form of an ibis, a bird once common but now rarely if ever seen in Egypt. In the present amulet the details of the head, beak and tail are carefully rendered, and a suspension loop is provided on the back, a small strump in front of the claws is all that remains of a feather of maat (truth). The tip of the beak is also missing, otherwise the condition is excellent. |
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| Context Source | Cyril Aldred. In: Steven Hooper (ed.). 1997. Catalogue to the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection. University of East Anglia. | |
| Context Title | Published Catalogue | |
| Rights | Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, UEA, Norwich, 2002. All Rights reserved | |
| Style Period | Late Period | |
| Work Type | amulet | |