AN EGYPTIAN OBSIDIAN TWO FINGER AMULET
AN EGYPTIAN OBSIDIAN TWO FINGER AMULET
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PROPERTY FROM THE CATTAUI FAMILY COLLECTION
AN EGYPTIAN OBSIDIAN TWO FINGER AMULET

LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.

Details
AN EGYPTIAN OBSIDIAN TWO FINGER AMULET
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
Modeled in the round and unusually large, in the form of an index and middle finger from a right hand, the joints and nails well articulated, rounded at the base
5 in. (12.7 cm.) long
Provenance
Acquired by Cattaui family, Switzerland, prior to 1977.

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Lot Essay

Two finger amulets, always depicting the index and middle fingers, were placed on mummies near the incision from where the internal organs were removed during embalming. Known examples date to the Late Period and are always made from dark stone such as basalt, steatite, or obsidian. According to Carol Andrews "the location [of the amulets] on the torso near the embalming incision has led to the suggestion that it represents the two fingers of the embalmer. It would thus have been intended to reconfirm the embalming process or perhaps give added protection to the most vulnerable part of the mummy" (p. 85, Amulets of Ancient Egypt). For a similar example see no. 64h, op. cit.

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