Ancient Egyptian Carnelian Scarab
£ 895.00
A fine Ancient Egyptian scarab modelled naturalistically in red carnelian. The obverse is curved and largely left smooth, with subtle definition around the head, eyes, and clypeus. The prothorax and elytra marked by linear incisions. The sides of the piece are deeply carved to depict the legs. The carnelian shows beautiful hues of red, orange and brown which flow into each other. The reverse of the amulet is flat and unworked. Usually scarabs made of semi-precious stones were kept blank on the reverse, free from hieroglyphs. The scarab is pierced for suspension, although this is now blocked.
Date: Circa 1550 - 1070 BC
Period: New Kingdom Period
Provenance: Ex English collection, AB, acquired 1920s-40, passed by descent.
Condition: Very fine condition. Some hairlines cracks but stable, minor encrustation. Suspension hole blocked.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that the Scarabaeus Beetle had the ability to spontaneously regenerate itself from cow dung, which these beetles roll around, forming small balls they push forward, bury themselves and lay eggs in. Consequently the scarab came to be associated with the spontaneous continuation of the life cycle. In addition, this movement resembled the journey the sun does everyday across the sky and therefore the Egyptian god Khepri, who represents the morning sun, became strongly associated with this insect. Scarabs are amongst the most popular and most numerous of all Ancient Egyptian artefacts and were especially employed in the funerary context.
To discover more about amulets in the Ancient Egyptian world, please visit our relevant post: Amulets in Ancient Egypt.
