An Exhibited Egyptian Diorite Scarab, Late Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664 - 525 BCE

Found in groups on the chest of Late Period mummies, scarabs such as this example well represent the funerary connotations of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty. Rendered naturalistically in the round, it is beautifully carved from a finely speckled black and white diorite, strengthening regenerative associations to assist passage into the afterlife. The legs fold into an incised outline below, which separates the base into two sections. At the center of the convex underbelly is a clearly visible piercing so the scarab can be stitched to the mummy wrappings.

For a related example, see Andrews, Carol. Amulets of Ancient Egypt, University of Texas Press, 1994. p. 59, ill. 59(d).

Exhibited: Metropolitan Museum NY 1920-40 #803.4, Boston Fine Art 1945-60, Museum of Man CA 1968 #803.4.

Dimensions:  Length: 2 cm (0.78 inches)

Condition:  Intact and in overall good condition, despite a small loss to the front leg.  A small metal jeweler's tube was inserted inside the horizontal piercing in the 1900s to assist with restringing.

Provenance:  Goddard Du Bois (b. 1869 – d. 1925) and Josephine Cook Du Bois (b. 1864 – d. 1961), New York, acquired in Egypt between 1900 and 1907, loaned & exhibited at Metropolitan Museum NY 1920-40, Boston Fine Art 1945-60, Museum of Man CA 1968 #803.4