Mold for a Fox Head Amulet

Art Historical Context

This delicate pottery mold, created during Egypt’s New Kingdom around 1390–1352 B.C., was used to shape small amulets in the form of a fox head. Measuring just over four centimeters tall, the belongs to Dynasty 18, a period for its artistic refinement and production of protective charms. Though the artisan remains unknown, the mold’s simple yet precise design reveals the practical ingenuity of ancient workshops that supplied amulets to people from many levels of society. In ancient Egyptian belief, animal-shaped amulets carried symbolic power; a fox’s alert ears and keen senses likely evoked ...