A CARNELIAN ‘FROG’ AMULET, HEQET, LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC ERA

Egypt, 664-30 BC. Naturalistically depicted on an integral base, the eyes and mouth delineated by incision. The semi-precious stone is of a mottled deep amber hue with inclusions of white and red. Neatly pierced horizontally through the chest.

Provenance: The collection of Miss Agnes Barclay, acquired c. 1920-1940, and thence by descent. With C.J. Martin Ltd., Specialist in Ancient & Mediaeval Coins & Antiquities, London, United Kingdom. A private collection in New York, acquired from the above in 2017 and thence by descent. A copy of an invoice from C.J. Martin Ltd., London, dated 13 June 2017, accompanies the lot. In this invoice the present lot is listed within a group of hardstone amulets made from lapis and carnelian, sold for USD 19,500 or EUR 23,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear.

Weight: 0.8 g
Dimensions: Height 1 cm

Amulets were, and in many cultures still are, believed to protect the living and the dead from danger or to provide them with extraordinary power. Some amulets have the same power as the object whose shape they depict (a divinity, an animal a body part, a hieroglyph, or another symbol). Some are made of materials thought to have supernatural qualities, while some derive their power from their color. It is the instructions for use that make the amulets really effective. They must be employed in a certain way, at a certain moment, and by the right person, with the relevant spells being recited. Amulets served to protect the entice person, but were also laid on various parts of the mummy's body, and associated with the gods who had those body parts under their particular care. Jewelry and amulets are difficult to distinguish functionally. A bead can have a certain amuletic value and amulets almost always worked into jewelry. There are about 300 different types of Egyptian amulets known from all periods. Some of them remained popular for thousands of years. From about 1000 BC on, the production of amulets increased dramatically, particularly their use for the benefit of deceased persons. Dozens of specimens have thus been found on and inside mummies.

Heqet, in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, is a goddess who personified regeneration, rebirth, and fertility. Heqet was depicted in the form of a frog, as a frog-headed woman, or as a woman with the body of a frog.

The worship of the frog was one of the oldest cults in Egypt. Frog gods and frog goddesses were thought to have had a vital role in the creation of the world. Just prior to the annual flooding of the Nile River, frogs appeared in great numbers, which possibly led to their association with fecundity and with the beginning of life in the world. In fact, the hieroglyphic sign for 100,000 was a tadpole. Frog amulets were very popular both in semiprecious stone and in faience, and were worn by women hoping for an easy delivery. Both sexes wore the frog in expectation of a successful rebirth in the afterlife. The Ogdoad (a group of eight gods) of the ancient city of Hermopolis inhabited the inchoate world before creation and consisted of four pairs of very early primeval gods and their corresponding goddesses, who represented water, darkness, uncertainty, and infinity. The gods were all depicted with the heads of frogs, while their female counterparts were depicted with the heads of serpents.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related carnelian amulet of a frog, Late Old Kingdom-Early Middle Kingdom, dated c. 2150-1950 BC, 1.2 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 59.103.2. Compare a closely related frog amulet, New Kingdom, dated 1540-1069 BC, 0.9 cm high, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1914.570.