Egyptian Mummy Eye
Warding off evil
This is a Yorkshire World Collections object, one of 100 chosen by young people aged 16-24, as part of the London Cultural Olympiad programme Stories of the World.
Described as an eye from an Egyptian Mummy cartonnage (or funeral mask), this is more likely to be from an Egyptian statue. It is part of the William James Clarke collection of charms and amulets and was given to Clarke by Edward Lovett, a London based collector of charms and a folklore researcher. It was used to ward off evil. Ancient Egyptians believed the eye reflected the evil back onto the evil-doer.
On the back of the eye there is a small label which reads National Exhibition of Works of Art, Leeds 1868. Egyptian artefacts were much sought after by private collectors and museums throughout the 19th Century.
Young person's response to this object:
It’s extremely old but well preserved and although the colours may not be as vibrant as they used to be they are still there. Fathia AlesinloyeThere is another resource on My Learning showing an Egyptian mummy called Nesyamun.
Learning article provided by:
Scarborough Museums Trust |
Page Comments
