Amulet of a Sphinx
Middle Kingdom (?) (about 1700 BCE)
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
1 × 1.6 × 0.6 cm (3/8 × 5/8 × 1/4 in.)
Classification
amulet
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
844
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts Africa collection, this diminutive *Amulet of a Sphinx* hails from ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom period, around 1700 BCE. Carved from stone and measuring just 1 ×1.6 × 0.6 cm, it's a testament to the Egyptians' mastery of miniature sculpture. The sphinx—a mythical creature with a human head and lion's body—embodies royal power, wisdom, and guardianship, often linking pharaohs to divine protection. Amulets like this were everyday talismans, worn as jewelry or placed in tombs to ward off evil and ensure safe passage in the afterlife. During the Mi...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....