Art Institute of Chicago

Amulet of a Lion-Headed Cobra

Egyptian

Date

Ptolemaic Period–Roman Period, 4th century BCE–4th century CE

Medium

Faience

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

With the body of a rearing cobra and the head of a ferocious lion, this faience amulet is small but mighty. During the mummification process, amulets like this one were folded into the linen wrappings of a body to protect the deceased. Such objects often depicted gods and goddesses in their human, animal, or mixed forms. This amulet likely represents a goddess—either Sekhmet or Wadjet—but because the image is not inscribed with a name, her identity remains uncertain. Sekhmet typically is depicted as a lioness or lion-headed woman, while Wadjet appears in the form of a cobra. In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet and Wadjet both acted as the Eye of Re—the daughter of the sun god, Re, who also served as his protector. In the fearsome mixed form shown here, they would embody protection and power. The lion-headed cobra form could be an allusion to the uraeus , a hooded cobra worn on the crowns of royalty and deities for protection. Though the amulet’s color has mostly worn away, the original dark blue is visible on the underside.

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