A necklace counterpoise (or counterweight) is a decorative or functional weight attached to the back of a necklace to balance a heavy front pendant and keep it centered. Historically, it refers to the menat, a keyhole-shaped pendant from Ancient Egypt, which hung down the back to balance broad collars (wesekh) and was used in rituals. Egyptian faience is an ancient, non-clay ceramic material, primarily composed of crushed quartz or sand, that was used for over 6,000 years to create brilliant, self-glazed blue or green objects. Known by the Egyptians as tjehenet ("the dazzling"), this sintered-quartz material was valued for representing life and fertility, commonly used for amulets, beads, and figurines. A menat necklace is a sacred, ritualistic necklace from ancient Egypt, featuring multiple strands of beads and a heavy keyhole-shaped counterpoise (the menat itself) that hung down the back. Used mainly in religious ceremonies, it was held and shaken as a percussion instrument to invoke the goddess Hathor, offering protection, joy, and fertility. Sekhmet is the ancient Egyptian goddess of war, vengeance, and healing, often depicted as a lioness-headed woman representing the destructive, yet protective, power of the sun (the "Eye of Ra"). Known as "The Powerful One," she was worshipped in Memphis as a fierce protector of pharaohs, capable of inflicting plague and curing disease.
Faience counterpoise with aegis of Sekhmet (once a part of a Menat Necklace)
quartz ceramic
c. 1295-1070 BCE
New Kingdom, Ramesside Period, 19th-20th Dynasty
Egypt
#jewelry #ancientjewelry #egyptianjewelry #faience #counterpoise #menatnecklace #sekhmet #goddess #war #vengeance #healing #religion
