Amulet of a Lion
Egyptian, Late Period 800 to 300 B.C.,
Bronze, Length: 2 inches.

This object was either a weight or amulet, or both. It is in the form of a lion lying with his haunches under him with front paws in front; the pose of the much larger monumental lions and sphinxes that guarded temple compounds. Very finely made the details are crisp despite its small size. The way the lions tail curls around his haunch is a very nice detail, and echoes its much larger prototypes. The bail on the back was for use as an amulet or to hang as a weight.