Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. An ornate faience scarab of an impressively grand form, enveloped in a brilliant shade of azure. Resting upon an integral plinth, the mold-formed insect displays folded wings atop an ovoid body, a broad thorax, a lunate head, and a striated clypeus. Its slender legs bend below the body with the foremost limbs featuring rigid peripheries and petite claws. Four equidistant piercings in the plinth allow for the scarab to be attached as a pectoral ornament to the linen wrappings of a mummy. The underside of the insect is bare. Size: 1.9" L x 1.4" W x 0.7" H (4.8 cm x 3.6 cm x 1.8 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: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#136163

Some minor nicks, pitting, and abrasions throughout, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with light earthen deposits in recessed areas.