Classical Numismatics Discussion
  Welcome Guest. Please login or register. 10% Off Store-Wide Sale Until 2 April!!! Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!! Expert Authentication - Accurate Descriptions - Reasonable Prices - Coins From Under $10 To Museum Quality Rarities Welcome Guest. Please login or register. 10% Off Store-Wide Sale Until 2 April!!! Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!! Support Our Efforts To Serve The Classical Numismatics Community - Shop At Forum Ancient Coins

New & Reduced


Author Topic: Nefer Amulet  (Read 2342 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Wm1771

  • Legionary
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Nefer Amulet
« on: February 14, 2014, 01:51:04 am »
Nefer amulet. 18th Dynasty. 16 mm. 0.14 g. Light green glazed steatite. Cf. Petrie, Amulets (1914) pp. 14,15 and plate III (figure 31a). I purchased this from Francis Rath in 1980, from his FPL #7, not long after he began to sell artifacts. I'm interested in the opinion of any experts regarding its genuineness. Mr. Rath had the period right but did not use "Nefer" in his description, so that's my identification based on Petrie. There is a grain of sand or tiny stone lodged in the loop. It looks as if there might have originally been a loop at the bottom end as well, but it's covered with glaze there so I'm not sure about that. The color's off in the picture, I had to use a low ISO and auto adjusted the color to get it even this close. The amulet is actually a light greenish blue (like the color of untreated turquoise) in hand.


Offline Russ

  • Consul
  • ***
  • Posts: 298
Re: Nefer Amulet
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2014, 09:55:41 am »
Hi Wm1771,

     Working from photos can be problematic, especially with ancient Egyptian faience where subtle tones/hues of color become extremely important. From the muddy pea soup green color my monitor displayed, I thought it was a fake but after reading your post, I changed my mind.
     I would venture to say it is a broad collar element and originally it had a suspension ring on the top and on the bottom. These items tend to be extremely delicate, and the suspension rings were "glued" in position with a tiny dab of faience. Many of these rings have broken off over the millennia for more than one reason. Broad collars with extremely delicate elements were not made to be worn by the living, they were probably funerary. Those produced for the living were made from gold or other durable materials.
     Broad collars go back to the Old Kingdom, but your element is no earlier than the 18th Dynasty, or perhaps, later; even as late as the 25th/26th Dynasty when the Egyptians had an 'antique revival craze" and emulated the styles (and sometimes rivaled the quality) of bygone Dynasties.
     The use of nefer signs in broad collars is not common. For some examples, see: Andrews, Carol. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. Austin/London, 1994: page 87, figure 89. And Samson, Julia. Amarna, City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. London, 1972: Page 83, University College Acquisition Number UC1110. You already mentioned Petrie. I also checked Reisiner's two volumes of Amulets in the Cairo Museum (Catalogue General) but this amulet/element was not listed.
     Yours may be 18th Dynasty; you can also be cool and be vague by calling it New Kingdom.
     I hope this helps.
Russ

Offline Wm1771

  • Legionary
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Re: Nefer Amulet
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2014, 06:25:11 pm »
Thank you Russ, for the detailed response. It is immensely helpful! I'm especially grateful for the references. I used an image editor to try to get the color right, after giving up with my camera.

William

 

All coins are guaranteed for eternity