Ancient Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A petite amulet formed from 84.65% silver depicting Nephthys, goddess of death and darkness and one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon - identified by the hieroglyph upon her head. The goddess is clad in a sheath dress with arms placed firmly at her sides, her left leg presenting forward in a striding pose, and her wig lappets draped atop her breasts. Her temple-shaped headdress projects upwards while bearing delicately incised striations on the obverse side. Size: 0.33" L x 0.23" W x 0.86" H (0.8 cm x 0.6 cm x 2.2 cm); silver quality: 84.65%; weight: 2.3 grams

The goddess Nephthys is one of the oldest deities of ancient Egypt and, accordingly, one of the most symbolically significant. She is the daughter of Geb (god of the earth) and Nut (goddess of the sky), and is the mother of Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming and the dead. Nephthys' association with death and darkness originates from the bipolarity of light and dark she shares with her sister Isis, the goddess of light and rebirth, and the symbols most-commonly associated with the goddess are the temple (as seen on her headdress), the hawk, and the sycamore tree.

Nephthys is so strongly linked with death that effigies of her likeness were regularly created and displayed during ancient Egyptian funerary ceremonies, and her portrait is one of four goddesses present in the tomb of Tutankhamen. In fact, her namesake cult, the "Cult of Nephthys," is even credited for creating some of the first professional funerary mourners, nicknamed the "hawks of Nephthys." Funerary figures like this example were elaborately decorated to pay homage as well as to protect the body of the deceased. This figure was first covered in thick layers of gesso, then painted with brightly-colored pigments, and finally accentuated with thin layers of applied gilding. Funerary carvings of Nephthys were often accompanied by matching carvings of her sister, Isis, with each being placed near on atop the ends of a sarcophagus.

Exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 1986 to 1991; in the University of Arizona Museum of Art, October 1993 to December 1993; and in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1996 to 2023, reference number EL01.198.1996.

Published in Dr. Gerry D. Scott III. "Temple, Tomb and Dwelling: Egyptian Antiquities from the Harer Family Trust Collection." University of California Press, 1992, fig. 86b, pp. 138-139.

Cf. a silver seated Nephthys amulet at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2014.159.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA; Exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 1986 to 1991; in the University of Arizona Museum of Art, October 1993 to December 1993; and in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1996 to 2023, reference number EL01.198.1996; Published in "Temple, Tomb, and Dwelling", fig. 86b

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#178981

Very light abrasions in some areas, otherwise intact and choice. Fabulous preservation to finer details, and great patina throughout.