A large Egyptian Djed Pillar Amulet, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664-525 BCE

An exemplary and very large blue glazed clay djed pillar amulet, composed of a tall broad shaft with incised lines just below the four ribbed capitals surmounted by five short horizontal bars, and a domed top.

See D’Auria, Lacovara and Roehrig, "Mummies and Magic," p.181 for a discussion of djed-pillars. The author notes this form of amulet “has been variously explained as a column of papyrus stems, a tree-trunk with looped branches and a sheaf of bound cornstalks….. Though not originally associated with Osiris, by the New Kingdom the djed-pillar had come to be closely linked with the god, and its shape was reinterpreted as a representation of his backbone. The image also has connotations of stability and endurance and it was primarily to confer these qualities on the deceased that [they were] placed within the mummy wrappings.”

Dimensions: Height: 1 3/4 inches (4.5 cm), height with base: 2 inches (5 cm)

Condition: Slight losses to the surface, the edges of the horizontal bars, and one bottom corner, but otherwise intact and in good condition overall.

Provenance: Ex South Florida private collection.