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Heart amulet with human head

New Kingdom or early Third Intermediate Period
ca. 1550–721 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 122
This unusual looking amulet is a combination of a simplified heart and a human head. The heart, of red jasper, is depicted as a flat, oval object with slightly rounded front and back surfaces and a pointed bottom. It does not have side projections, which are known from other heart amulets that depict the organ more naturalistically. At the top is a small, carnelian human head, which was manufactured separately and attached to the heart. Details of the face, such as the nose, eyes, and mouth are carved, but mainly due to the amulet’s small size and the hardness of the material, they are not well defined. A long, striated, black wig made out of chlorite conceals the junction between the two parts. The amulet is pierced twice latitudinally. The top piercing runs through the head, and a second is positioned in the lower third of the amulet. These piercings were possibly intended to fasten the amulet onto the bandages of a mummy.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Heart amulet with human head
  • Period: New Kingdom or early Third Intermediate Period
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 18 or 21–22
  • Date: ca. 1550–721 BCE
  • Geography: Probably from Egypt
  • Medium: Jasper, carnelian, chlorite
  • Dimensions: H. 5.4 cm (2 1/8 in); w. 2.7 (1 1/16 in); d. 1,5 cm (9/16 in)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Miss A. M. Hegemann, 1938
  • Object Number: 38.8
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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