Plate. Ancient Egypt, ca. 500 BC.

Plate. Ancient Egypt, ca. 500 BC.
Fayenza.
Provenance: private collection in Paris. Acquired on the art market in the 1980s.
In good state of preservation.
Measurements: 5,5 x 6,2 cm; 8,5 cm (height with stand).

Each of the eight horizontal bands that make up this plate has Egyptian motifs synthesized in relief. We sense, for example, what appear to be Egyptian busts in profile with pharaonic headdress on the first level, or the eye of horus on the sixth level.
The Wedjat/Udjat or Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, nobility and good health. These amulets were worn and given as gifts for protection in life and death. The history of this symbol is linked to Egyptian mythology, according to which Horus lost his eye fighting against his uncle Seth in the battles to regain the throne of Egypt. However, the god of science and magic, Thoth, found the pieces of the eye and put them back together so that Horus could offer them to Osiris to eat and be resurrected.