Egyptian Faience and Jasper Beaded Necklace with Poppy Amulets
£ 695.00
A very fine restrung ancient Egyptian beaded necklace featuring a trio of poppy amulets. The body of the necklace is comprised of long, tubular light blue faience beads, separated by disc-shaped white, cream, and yellow spacer beads. At the centre, there are three light turquoise-green, feldspar poppy amulets. They alternate between four circular beads of red jasper and white faience disc beads. The poppy amulets each feature a rounded body which tapers to an extended neck, perforated at the top for suspension and rests on a flat base. The necklace is fastened with a modern gold-plated clasp. Please note this clasp has not been professionally tied.
Date: Circa 1550-1070 BC Period: New Kingdom Period Condition: Very good. Restrung. Signs of minor wear, pitting and encrustations to the beads as consistent with age.
Poppy or thistle amulets often appear in association with healing, the removal of pain and death. Amulets of this type were also connected to the Egyptian god Osiris, who was the god of agriculture as well as death and the afterlife. Thistles were common all over Egypt, but especially around the Nile. It is thought that they were peeled and boiled before consumption, with the thistle used in some parts of the world as a herbal treatment for hepatic disorders. As in modern symbolism, poppies also carried associations with rebirth and resilience due to the hardy nature of the plant. Indeed, there is evidence for the extraction of morphine from poppies in the ancient world.
To discover more about jewellery in the Ancient World, please visit our relevant post: Jewellery in Antiquity.
