Frog amulet
Unknown Artist
ca. 1295–1070 B.C.
Medium
Serpentinite
Dimensions
H. 0.9 × L. 1.5 × W. 1.2 cm (3/8 × 9/16 × 1/2 in.)
Classification
Amulet, Frog
Period
New Kingdom, Ramesside
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number
30.8.861
Tags
Art Historical Context
This diminutive frog amulet, from serpentinite—a dense, green stone prized in ancient Egypt for its vibrant hue evoking life's renewal—dates to the New Kingdom's Ramesside period (ca. 1295–1070 B.C.), during Dynasties 19–20. Measuring just 0.9 cm high, it exemplifies the exquisite miniaturist craft of Egyptian jewelers, who shaped protective talismans small enough to wear as jewelry or place in tombs. Such amulets were everyday guardians, invoking magical powers through their form and material. Frogs held profound cultural significance in ancient Egypt, symbolizing fertility, rebirth, and the...