Necklace
Unknown Artist
ca. 1981–1295 B.C.
Medium
Blue faience
Dimensions
l. 38.5 cm (15 3/16 in)
Classification
Necklace, beads
Period
Middle Kingdom–Early New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1915
Accession Number
15.3.462
Art Historical Context
This exquisite necklace, crafted from vibrant blue faience around 1981–1295 B.C. during Egypt's Middle Kingdom to Early New Kingdom (Dyn 12–18), the ancient Egyptians' mastery of affordable yet luxurious materials. Faience, a glazed composite of quartz, lime, and clay fired to a brilliant turquoise hue, mimicked the prized deep-blue lapis lazuli— imported at great cost from afar. Measuring 38.5 cm in length, this piece would have draped elegantly around the neck, its glassy sheen evoking the Nile's life-giving waters. In ancient Egyptian culture, such jewelry transcended mere adornment, servi...