Amulet of Isis; Egypt, Lower Egypt, 664 - 332 BC.

Amulet of Isis; Egypt, Lower Egypt, 664 - 332 BC.
Fayenza.
Measurements: 8,5 x 2 x 1,5 cm.
Round sculpture made of faience representing the goddess Isis in frontal attitude, standing and in hieratic position, with arms outstretched and rigid on both sides of the body. The figure responds to the canons of late Egyptian representation, where frontality, symmetry and immobility reinforce its sacred and timeless character.
Isis was one of the most important divinities of the Egyptian pantheon, venerated as goddess of magic, motherhood and protection. Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, she played a central role in the Osirian myth, in which, after the murder of Osiris at the hands of Seth, Isis manages to recompose the body of her husband and bring him back to life through her magical powers. This story turned her into a symbol of renewal, resurrection and protection of the deceased, which is why her cult was so widespread both in Egypt and in the Greco-Roman world.
The name Isis literally means "throne", and her iconography usually includes a headdress in this form, underlining her function as the personification of legitimate power. In Pharaonic ideology, the king was often identified as her son, reinforcing the divine legitimacy of royal power.
The proliferation of representations of Isis in the Egyptian Late Period (ca. 664-332 B.C.) responds to a process of intensification and democratization of religious cults. In this period, Egyptian religion becomes more accessible to the general population, and protective divinities such as Isis acquire an increasingly important role in everyday life. Her function as universal mother, protector of children and guarantor of the afterlife explains the great demand for votive images and amulets in her honor, used as intermediaries of protection and spiritual well-being.