Advanced Search 
Ba bird amulet
Egyptian
Late Period
664–332 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Gold
Dimensions
Length x width: 4.4 x 2.2 cm (1 3/4 x 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of James Burnett Lowell, Francis Lowell Burnett, Esther Lowell Cunningham, and Lois Burnett Rantoul
Accession Number24.117
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
DescriptionBa bird amulet with a human head and detailed feather pattern on the front and back of the wings. The wings are made from a single layer of hammered gold, while the body is made of two joined sheets of gold.
Provenance1839, possibly acquired in Egypt by Rev. Charles Lowell (b. 1782 - d. 1861), Cambridge, MA; to his son, James Russell Lowell (b. 1819 - d. 1891), Cambridge; by 1879, his daughter, Mabel Lowell Burnett (b. 1847 - d. 1898), Cambridge, MA [see note]; to her children, James Burnett Lowell, Francis Lowell Burnett, Esther Lowell Cunningham, and Lois Burnett Rantoul; 1924, gift of James Lowell, Francis Burnett, Esther Cunningham, and Lois Rantoul to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 6, 1924)
NOTE: She first lent this to the MFA in April 1879.
NOTE: She first lent this to the MFA in April 1879.