Amuletic Figure of Imsety, Son of Horus

Description This faience amulet represents Imsety, the human-headed son of Horus. There are four sons of Horus and this amulet is part of a set of four (Walters 48.1638-1641). The sons of Horus protected the vital organs of the body after mummification. The figure faces proper right. It is composed of blue glazed faience with the details picked out in purple/black manganese. The figure wears a three row broad collar, a tripartite wig and a divine beard. There are five diagonal stripes of manganese across the mummiform body representing the mummy wrappings or braces. Numerous funerary amulets were usually placed among the many layers of linen strips used to wrap mummies. Specific amulets, along with their required position on the body, are listed in funerary texts such as "The Book of the Dead." Amulets were sometimes sewn directly onto the wrappings or could be incorporated into a bead net shroud covering the mummy. These amulets have been modeled with a flat underside and are pierced by tiny holes around the edges for attachment.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
11/20/1978	Examination	examined for condition
8/20/1998	Examination	survey

Exhibitions

• Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1979-1980.
• Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. 1984-1987.
• Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1987.
• Faience: The Colors of the Heavens. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2003-2004.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters