Seal amulet in the shape of a duck

This amulet made of green glazed steatite has been carved into the form of a sleeping duck, whose head, originally bent on its back, is now lost. A common motif in ancient tomb paintings, the duck, which nested in the marshes bordering the Nile, was associated with fertility and regeneration, similarly to the crocodile, hippopotamus, fish, frog, monkey, hedgehog and other animals. The flat underside of the amulet is decorated with a very stylised sistrum flanked by rearing cobras (uraei). This Egyptian percussion instrument was associated with the ancient sky and fertility goddess Hathor, who was frequently represented as a cow, or as a woman with cow ears and horns. The goddess was believed to protect both the living, and the dead as they embarked on their voyage to the afterlife. The piercing through the longitudinal axis of the amulet suggests that it was originally worn on a chain or set in a ring.