ca. 1550–1069 BC. New Kingdom. Egyptian. A gold djed pillar amulet with a red carnelian inlay on the front, and loops at the top and bottom for decoration and suspension. The djed pillar was the symbol of stability, understood to represent the spine of Osiris which was lost when his brother Seth dismembered him and scattered his remains. Osiris' wife Isis had to craft him a new spine as this was the only piece (in one version of the myth) she could not find, creating the djed pillar. Alternatively, it represented the mythical pillar carved from the tree in which Osiris' coffin was entombed.Provenance: Property of a professional Ancient art and jewelry expert; previously with a London gallery; initially from a private British collection formed in the 1970s.Size: L:15mm / W:5mm ; 0.6g