An Egyptian feldspar frog amulet

An Egyptian feldspar frog amulet
Late New Kingdom, circa 1200 B.C.
The naturalistic frog depicted squatting with incised dorsal line, pierced laterally, 3.4cm long

Provenance:
with Petit Musée, Montreal.
Harry Toulch collection, Montreal, acquired from the above 8 June 1996.

Ancient Egyptians believed that frogs could spring spontaneously into life from the marshlands, and this autogenisis linked the animal to birth and resurrection. Perhaps representing the goddess Heqat, a goddess of childbirth, frog amulets were popular with young women and children. For a frog backed scaraboid cf. C. Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, The British Museum, 1994, p.53, pl. 54b.