Amulet of kneeling cow wearing disk and feathers

Art Historical Context

This delicate glass amulet, crafted between 400–30 BC during Egypt's Late Period and Ptoleic era, depicts a kneeling cow with a sun disk and feathers—a classic symbol of the goddess Hathor. Hathor, often portrayed as a nurturing sky cow, embodied fertility, motherhood, love, and music, while the disk evoked the sun god Re, whom she carried across the heavens. Kneeling in reverence, the figure captures the era's enduring devotion to divine protection amid political shifts under Persian and Greek rule. Measuring just 2.9 × 3.1 cm, this portable talisman was likely worn or carried for safeguardi...