Eye of Horus (Wedjat) Amulet
Ptolemaic Period (305–30 BCE)
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
0.9 × 1.2 × 0.3 cm (3/8 × 1/2 × 1/8 in.)
Classification
amulet
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
140633
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Referred to as wedjat, these amulets represent a human eye enhanced or combined with the characteristic markings of a falcon, and refer to the god Horus. Made in many variations for over 3,000 years, they convey wholeness and health.
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....