Size:  from 9 mm to 24 mm

Provenance:  Private Collection.

Historical Background:

The Eye of Horus (previously wadjet and the Eye of the Moon; and afterward as The Eye of Ra)[1] is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power from deities, in this case from Horus or Ra. The symbol is seen on images of Horus' mother, Hathor, and on other deities associated with her.

In the Egyptian language the word for this symbol was "wadjet".[2][3] It was the eye of one of the earliest of Egyptian deities, Wadjet, who later became associated with Bast, Mut, and Hathor as well. Wadjet was a solar deity and this symbol began as her eye, an all seeing eye. In early artwork Hathor is also depicted with this eye.[1] The ancients believed this symbol of indestructibility would assist in rebirth.[citation needed] Thus, funerary amulets were often made in the shape of the Eye of Horus.