Egyptian
Carnelian Falcon Pendant Earrings, Egyptian, Middle Kingdom, circa 2030-1650 BC
Carnelian and Gold
Length of falcon amulet: 0.8 cm
Length of earring: 2.3 cm
Length of earring: 2.3 cm
Two ancient Egyptian carnelian falcon amulets, circa 2030-1650 BC, suspended from modern 18 carat gold bespoke pendant earrings. The amulets are carved in the form of a standing falcon.
Two ancient Egyptian carnelian falcon amulets, circa 2030-1650 BC, suspended from modern 18 carat gold bespoke pendant earrings. The amulets are carved in the form of a standing falcon.
Provenance
Private collection, 1980sWith Galerie Nefer, Zurich, acquired in the 1990s
Private collection, Aarau, Switzerland, until 2015, thence by descent
Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 2018
Exhibitions
On Loan: Antikenmuseum Basel & Sammlung Ludwig, 1998 – 2022Literature
Egyptian amulets were believed to possess positive properties that could be magically bestowed upon the owner. This magical power could be derived from several elements of the amulet: the material, colour, shape, decoration, and the object that the amulet was intended to represent. Amulets could be worn with other pieces of jewellery or sewn into clothes.Falcons are often associated with the ancient Egyptian sky god Horus, though various deities and the pharaoh himself could assume a falcon form. The identification of the deity represented is even harder in the case of amulets (Andrews 1994, 27-28). For a similar carnelian example dated to the Middle Kingdom, see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 08.200.42a.