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Amulet of the head of Hathor
Egyptian
New Kingdom–Hellenistic Period (Ptolemaic Dynast
1550–30 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Overall: 1.3 x 0.9 cm (1/2 x 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Hay Collection—Gift of C. Granville Way
Accession Number72.4011
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
DescriptionHathor head amulets were popular from the New Kingdom to the Greco-Roman period. Hathor, the goddess of love and protector of the dead, is shown as a woman with the ears of a cow, wearing a distinctive, heavy wig with the ends coiled into spirals. This poorly preserved example was made of dark green glazed faience, from which virtually all the glaze is now missing. The back is flat and there is a a horizontal hole throughthe crown for suspension.
ProvenanceBy 1836: Robert Hay Collection, Linplum, Scotland; 1863: to his son, Robert James Alexander Hay; 1868-1872: Way Collection, Boston (purchased by Samuel A. Way through London dealers Rollin and Feuardent, 27 Haymarket); 1872: given to the MFA by Samuel's son, C. Granville Way.