The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 5, 2023

Frog Amulet

c. 1380–1330 BC

Egypt, New Kingdom, Late Dynasty 18

Polychrome faience

Overall: 0.8 x 0.9 cm (5/16 x 3/8 in.)

Gift of Cyril and Jessica Aldred 1980.123

Location

107 Egyptian

Fun Fact

This frog amulet was made from faience, a fine type of self-glazing ceramic that is characteristically turquoise blue. It is a representation of Heqet, the frog goddess associated with childbirth and fertility.

Description

The frog, because of its numerous offspring, was a symbol of fertility. In fact, the hieroglyphic sign for 100,000 was a tadpole. Frog amulets were very popular both in semiprecious stone and in faience, and were worn by women hoping for an easy delivery. Both sexes wore the frog in expectation of a successful rebirth in the afterlife.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Inscribed "Nefer" (beautiful)

Citations
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Jenifer Neils. The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 6, fig. 7
Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 513, cat. no. 407
Exhibition history

CMA 1981a, no. 2; CMA 1982, no. 7 (entry by Arielle P. Kozloff); CMA/Providence/Fort Worth, no. 70 (entry by Arielle P. Kozloff)

The Cleveland Museum of Art (5/10/98 - 7/5/98); Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (8/25/98 - 1/3/99); Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth (1/31/99 - 4/25/99). "Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience," exh. cat. no. 70, color repr. p. 117; p. 208; repr. p. 208.

Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 23-July 19, 1981).

Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience. The Cleveland Museum of Art (May 10-July 5, 1998); Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, RI (August 25, 1998-January 3, 1999); Kimbell Art Museum (January 31-April 25, 1999).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1980.123