A bright blue faience finger ring. The elliptical bezel is moulded with a series of hieroglyphs spelling out the throne name Nebmaatre (belonging to Pharaoh Amenhotep III): The Sun Disc (Re) sits clearly at the apex. Above two symmetrical beetles (Kheper) flank the center. Their heads point upward toward the sun disc. Below, the figure of the goddess Maat is shown seated, facing right, wearing her characteristic ostrich feather on her head, above the Neb basket which serves as the curved visual boundary at the base.
 
Egyptian New Kingdom Amarna period: Circa 1336–1327 B.C.

Condition: As is often the case, the bezel and hoop have been repaired in a couple of places, although the pieces are original to the same ring.  Otherwise in fine condition generally. 
Maximum width: 23.4 mms (0.92 ins)
 
Provenance: Ex London gallery; previously in a home counties UK collection circa 1930-1940.
 
Amarna faience rings were predominantly intended as "festival favors" or amuletic protection rather than secure official stamps.
 
Their inscriptions fall into three major categories: Royal Names (Cartouches) which contain prenomens or names of Amarna rulers like Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre), Akhenaten (Neferkheperure-Waenre), Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun (Nebkheperure); Divine and amuletic symbols such as the Wedjat (Eye of Horus), Ankh (life), or Nefer (beauty/goodness) to shield the wearer from malicious forces; Naturalist Ideograms: Rings featuring lotus flowers, mandrake fruits, or Tilapia fish motifs. These symbols directly represent new life, rebirth, and fertility within the short-lived Amarna religious shift.
 
'These faience rings were manufactured from two separate clay moulds, as evidenced by the hundred recovered from excavations at the site of Amarna. faience paste was pressed into separate moulds for the bezel and the shank, and the resulting pieces were joined together with a slurry of the core material. Glaze was then applied and the whole ring fired.' (F. Friedman (ed.), Gifts from the Nile, Ancient Egyptian Faience, London, 1998).