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Joice Meehan - The Pharaoh
Category: Body Adornment.
The amulet pouch is done in brick stitch with peyote tube beads for the strap.
The name Pharaoh originally was used by the Ancient Egyptians for the Palace of their King. In the beginning of the 18th Dynasty (1570 - 1293 BC), it was then applied to the King himself. King Tut is the best known Pharaoh because of his tomb containing fabulous treasures. Archaeologists, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon both died under strange circumstances after the discovery of Tut ‘s tomb, as did several others associated with the tomb.
In Egyptian Mythology, specifically, the religious belief of ancient Egyptians, were the dominating influence in the development of their culture. The Egyptians faith was based on a collection of ancient myths, nature worship and many deities. The most famous of these myths, the divine hierarchy was developed and the creation of the earth is explained
Burying the dead was of religious concern in Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the vital life-force was composed of several psychical elements, of which the most important was the ka. The ka, a duplicate of the body, accompanied the body throughout life and after death departed from the body to take its place in the kingdom of the dead The ka, however, could not exist without the body, so every effort had to be made to preserve the corpse. Bodies were mummified, and gold or stone replicas of the body were put into the tomb. The greater number of statue-duplicates in his or her tomb the more chances the dead person had of resurrection.
The Egyptians have always intrigued me, from the paintings on the walls to the ornate treasures they thought would go with them to their afterlife.
Being a self taught beader, as I am sure many of you are, it has led me to read many bead-related publications over the years. My first experience with beads was as a child, when my family and I would make beaded and sequins Christmas balls. We would hang them on our tree, give as gifts and sell them at the church bazaars. Then I found the pleasure of using beads for making jewelry, and have been doing so for about the past 7 years. My designs consist mostly of amulet pouches but also earrings and necklaces too. Beads have always been a part of my life, however they have developed into a different aspect of the art over the years.
In the past, I have sold pieces of my works in galleries and shops. Mostly now I bead for family, friends and myself, although I have been commissioned twice to make the "Pharaoh" pouch. Also I have been asked to display the design at a local store in my area. Designing my own patterns for amulet pouches is my choice of beading projects and truly my obsession.
The two dimensional amulet pouch titled "Pharaoh" is composed of brick stitch in size 11 Delica beads. The outer flap is held together on both sides by two rows of size 14 beads done in square stitch. The strap is 28 inches long with peyote stitched tube beads, garnet beads and other gold accent beads. The fringe is done in crystals, gold tubes and various beads.
I have always been intrigued with Egyptian artifacts, so the idea of the pharaoh's head seemed just perfect as an entry into the contest. The myths that surround the pyramids and the curse involved in disrupting the tombs burial grounds only add to the ancient mystery. In my research I thought the following myth worked well.
In creating the "Pharaoh" amulet pouch, I felt it represented a duplicate of the body or ka. It would be put into the tomb so that it would help lead the dead into resurrection according to Egyptian myth
If anyone is interested in contacting me I would welcome all e-mail. My new address is as follows: Beadtoo@cs.no.spam.com.