Antique Horus Plique-a-Jour Egyptian Revival Bird Pendant Victoria Sterling Antique Jewelry

Howard Carter had a hunch, and on the 26th of November 1922, in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, his hunch paid off. Big. Though conventional wisdom of the day said that all of the Royal tombs in Egypt’s great Valley had been looted and emptied over the ages, Carter knew of one King whose tomb had never been found. The young boy-King Tutankhamen; and he thought he knew where it was.

For eight years, with the support of his benefactor, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched in vain for the hidden tomb. Then, with his luck running thin and his funds running thinner; one day his workers discovered a series of steps leading down to a sealed door. Upon entering the door, the team was met with a passageway filled with stones and rubble. When they cleared this passage they found a door marked with the royal mark of the King. Carter’s luck had taken a serious turn.

Carter describes breaking through this final door thusly: “At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words, ‘Yes, wonderful things.'”

Wonderful things. The boy-King had not been long lived but he carried a slice of the privilege and wealth of his own royal world of the Pharaohs with him into the tomb where it sat, untouched and in darkness, for over 3000 years. It would take Carter until February of 1923 to even make it through the first three antechambers and into the actual tomb of the King. Laying in a gold casket, his head enshrined in the now-iconic golden mask, Tut was surrounded by a genuine treasure trove of objects. Gold covered the walls, and glinted off the floors, stacked high with statues of ebony and gold. Bottles of perfume and precious jewelry lined every niche, spilling onto the floors. His own golden throne was there, and his golden chariot, even a fleet of miniature ships and seven full sized golden oars to help guide him to the underworld. Treasure upon treasure upon treasure.

Is it any wonder, then, that the world flocked to see the glories of Carter’s find? Any wonder that the worlds of fashion and design were instantly overcome with Egyptian motifs? Snakes, scarabs, and winged creatures were instantly coveted by fashionistas everywhere. This fantastic pendant would have fit right in. Marked with the ‘800’ silver mark, this pendant was likely made in Germany, one of the brightest spots in the manufacture of Egyptian Revival, Plique á Jour jewelry.

This wonderful winged Horus was hand crafted in the 1920s, It is beautifully rendered in shades of green, yellow, purple and blue enamel and it’s body is set with a blister pearl, it’s feet also hold pearls and another drops from the bottom of the pendant. The top has small lotus flower motifs with red and blue/green enamel. The pendant measures 37 mm across and 76 mm long and weighs 7.5 grams. The enamel is in very good condition with no cracks, but there are a few tiny flea bites to it here and there. I think this piece was originally gilded but I’m not sure, it shows a bit of a golden hue in places.

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ITEM ID: PT0310225V