Lapis Blue Maat Ornament

A beautiful lapis lazuli-coloured ornament depicting the ancient Egyptian goddess Maat.

The ornament is part of a range accompanying the British Museum exhibition Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt.

This enchanting ornament is made from imitation marble and imitation lapis, finished with a gold-coloured headdress.

The goddess Maat, or Ma’at, was viewed as the personification of the ancient Egyptian principles of truth, balance and justice. She was sometimes, as here, depicted with an ostrich feather head decoration, other times represented entirely by the feather, which was used in the Weighing of the Heart ceremony during mummification, in which the heart of the deceased was weighed by the jackal-headed god Anubis against the Feather of Maat.

A stylish home ornament that gives a contemporary feel to an ancient piece.