Images(2)

Amulet of Nehebkau

Artist Unknown

Date664–30 BCE

MediumFaience

DimensionsH. 1 3/4 x 5/16 x 7/8 in. (4.4 x 0.8 x 2.2 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Fred Olsen

Object numberGL.57.14.71

On View

On view

Label TextNehebkau is the snake deity often represented as a human with a snake's head, his arms tucked under his chin. His name means "he who nourishes the ka(s)," and he is associated with the dead. Nehebkau can be favorable to the deceased who will appropriate the deity's power and be protected on his or her journey to the afterlife or unfavorable, because snakes are feared, dangerous creatures.ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Fred Olsen, Guilford, CT; on long-term loan to NCMA, 1957-1964; given to NCMA, 1964.
Published ReferencesCaroline M. Rocheleau, "Dusting Off the Years: The Thematic Reinstallation of the Egyptian Gallery," Preview: The Magazine of the North Carolina Museum of Art (March/April 2007), briefly discussed 13, illus. (color) 13.

Caroline M. Rocheleau, Ancient Egyptian Art [Systematic Catalogue of the Collection] (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2012), cat. no. 25, illus. (color) 69.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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