Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A mold-formed faience scarab attachment of a round-topped form that is enveloped in layers of lustrous, brilliant blue glaze. The insect rests atop an integral ovoid plinth and features a striated wing carapace folded atop the body, slender legs that curve backwards, a rounded shoulder, and a slender head with a frilled clypeus below. Four perforations along the plinth enabled this scarab to be attached as a pectoral ornament to the linen wrappings of a mummy along with a separate pair of feathered wings. Size: 1.25" L x 1" W (3.2 cm x 2.5 cm)

Scarabs were important symbols in ancient Egypt, as the beetle was believed to represent a divine manifestation of the morning sun, the deity Khepri, whose name was comprised of the scarab hieroglyph and was understood to roll the morning sun disk over the eastern horizon precisely at daybreak. Amulets of the scarab were immensely popular for over a thousand years in ancient Egypt, as the scarab was a symbol with immense staying power, akin to that of the Christian cross. Scarabs were worn and carried by the living, and by the time of the Late Period, they had also become part of the increasingly elaborate ensemble of items placed with the deceased for their eternal protection. The blue hues of the faience were intended to symbolize the regenerative powers of the Nile.

Provenance: private Toronto, Ontario, Canada collection, by descent, acquired in Egypt in 1894 to 1896

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#167146

Original wings missing as shown. Minor abrasions and pitting to body and plinth, with light encrustations within some recessed areas, and a few small areas along bottom of plinth where glaze has worn away, otherwise intact and very good. Great remains of insectile features and glaze color.