Faience, which dates back to pre-
dynastic times,
of at least 5,000 years, is a glasslike
non-clay
substance made of materials common to
Egypt:
ground quartz, crushed quartz pebbles,
flint, a
soluble salt-like baking soda, lime and
ground
copper, which provided the
characteristic color.
The dried objects went into kilns
looking pale
and colorless but emerged a sparkling
"Egyptian
blue." Called tjehnet by the ancient
Egyptians,
meaning that which is brilliant or
scintillating,
faience was thought to be filled with
the undying
light of the sun, moon and stars and was
symbolic of rebirth. Ancient Egyptians
believed
the small blue-green objects helped
prepare
them for eternity in the afterlife.
This magnificent turquoise-hued faience
plaque
is of a type most often found resting on
the
lower torso of a mummy. Talismans of
all sorts
were traditionally placed along
mummified
bodies, in some cases to replace organs
that
were removed, in other cases merely to
ward off
evil and protect the spirit of the
deceased, as is
likely the case with this plaque.
Rendered in high
relief, the three gods that comprise the
Osirian
triad decorate this piece. Harpokrates,
the infant
Horus, stands in the center wearing his
traditional sidelock, flanked by Isis on
the left
and Nephthys on the right, both of with
whom he
holds hands. Isis was the sister/wife
of Osiris
and the mother of Harpokrates by Osiris,
after
his resurrection. Nephthys was the
sister of
Osiris and Isis. As the god who
conquered
death, Osiris offered hope of an
afterlife to
mankind. This amulet represents the god
and
goddesses closest to Osiris in the hopes
that the
deceased individual upon whom this work
was
bestowed would be resurrected in the
next world
like the mighty god himself.
- (X.0005)
|
