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Amulet of Two Fingers

A work made of obsidian.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of obsidian.

Date:

Late Period (664–332 BCE)

Artist:

Egyptian

About this artwork

This amulet depicts the index and middle fingers of a right hand. The fingernails and joints are carefully rendered using incised lines. Amulets in this form were always made from dark-colored glass or stone (as in this example) and may represent the embalmer’s fingers. They were usually placed on the left side of a mummified body’s torso, near the incision that had been made to remove the internal organs. Here the amulet could heal the wound created during the mummification process so that its owner’s body would once again be whole in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians produced amulets in a variety of forms and from many different materials in order to provide protection in life, death, or both. Two-finger amulets like this example were used exclusively in a funerary context.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Amulet of Two Fingers

Place

Egypt (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

664 BCE–332 BCE

Medium

Obsidian

Dimensions

7.2 × 2.6 × 1.1 cm (2 7/8 × 1 1/16 × 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Robert H. Fleming

Reference Number

1894.247

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/140449/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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