Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. An adorable, mold-formed pendant of a cape hare lying couchant atop an integral plinth with its forelegs extended in front of its streamlined body, its back legs tucked beneath its haunches, and a petite tail protruding off the verso. Its head is raised in attention, with a gaunt face bearing beady eyes and bulging jowls, and an enormous pair of furry ears swept back atop almost the entire body; a suspension hole is drilled laterally beneath the ears. Egyptians hoped to invoke many desirable properties of cape hare via amulets like these, such as swiftness, fecundity, and keen senses. These amulets were used in both quotidian activities and funerary contexts, as they were thought to give the wearer powers of rapid regeneration. In the Middle Kingdom, faience figurines of cape hares were often deposited in tombs, as their generative powers were thought to help the deceased be reborn into the afterlife. Size: 0.8" L x 0.3" W x 0.5" H (2 cm x 0.8 cm x 1.3 cm); 2" H (5.1 cm) on included custom stand.

It is also possible that the cape hare derived its amuletic significance from its hieroglyphic meaning; the crouching cape hare, which was assigned the phonetic value of "wen," was most frequently used as a verb meaning "to be." The amulet's pale blue glaze was additionally associated with generative properties as it represented the fertile qualities of the flowing blue waters of the Nile.

The desert hare was a fascinating creature within the Egyptian ecosystem. According to Egyptologist Dorothea Arnold, "Among the small animals of the Egyptian desert is the desert hare, Lepus capensis. In ancient times it was not considered worthy prey for princely hunters, and in representations it appears only occasionally among the spoils of the hunt. In many hunting scenes, however, it can be found in the background as part of the landscape. The tomb relief of Ra-m-kaj, for example, includes a desert hare in much the same position as the one that forms this amulet. It crouches low to the ground, ears flattened, intent on eluding the hunter's notice. The desert hare's sand-colored fur . . . serves it well as camouflage. If detected, however, the hare uses its great speed to help it escape. The hare's amuletic role is not known for certain. Ancient Greek and Roman authors believed that hares could sleep with their eyes open and reproduce without copulation. If these were also Egyptian beliefs, the hare might have represented extreme vigilance or the primeval deity's self-creating power." (Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 23)

Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1998. to 2023, reference number EL01.101.1998.

Similar cape hare faience amulets can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (74.51.4505 and 44.4.25), the Art Institute of Chicago (1894.253), and the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum (3705).

Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA; ex-collection of Philip Mitry, noted antiquarian, 1930 to 1953, then imported into the United States; Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1998 to 2023, reference number EL01.101.1998

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#182197

Chip to proper left ear and expected nicks and abrasions to surface commensurate with age. Otherwise, good remaining detail with earthen deposits in recessed areas. Permanently adhered to custom stand with modern adhesive visible. Old collection numbers inscribed on posterior of animal and on underside of custom stand.