A large Egyptian Greenstone Heart Scarab, Late Period, ca. 664 - 332 BCE

This finely crafted scarab represents Khepri, the god of the rising sun, depicted in the characteristic form of a beetle. The scarab is skillfully carved from green stone, with excellent preservation of the insect's head, clypeus, pro-thorax, wing cases, and legs, all polished to a smooth finish. The flat base remains uninscribed, although the significance of the scarab lies in its symbolic function.  The stone has a soft olive-green tone with numerous dark inclusions, a characteristic often associated with serpentine or green jasper used in amuletic production. These speckled inclusions enhance the natural surface and reflect the Egyptians’ preference for stones evoking renewal, vegetation, and cyclical rebirth.

The heart scarab, a prominent funerary object that first appeared during the Middle Kingdom (Dynasty XIII), was associated with self-generation and rebirth. It was used as a protective amulet for the deceased, symbolizing the assurance of acceptance into the afterlife under the divine rule of Osiris. This particular scarab likely served a similar function in the burial practices, offering the deceased spiritual protection during their judgment by the gods.

The use of green stone, especially serpentine or green jasper, was highly symbolic. The stone's green color represented life, health, and regeneration, while its weight was believed to balance the heart, ensuring it did not exceed the weight of the feather of Maat, which was crucial for the deceased's successful judgment.

References: Andrews, Carol, 1994. Amulets of Ancient Egypt, chapter 4: Scarabs for the living and funerary scarabs, University of Texas Press, pp 50-59 

Medium: Green stone

Dimensions: Length: 1 3/8 inches (3.06 cm)

Condition:  Small areas of age-related surface wear that do not detract, the details of the thorax, wing cases, and head remain sharply defined. Underside plain and uninscribed.  The scarab is intact and in very good condition overall.  A nice example.

Provenance: Private collection of Marcel Gibrat, New York City, 1950s–1970s; thereafter private New Jersey collection. Marcel Gibrat served as a restorer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan from the 1960s through the 1990s. He later operated a Madison Avenue restoration studio and gallery near the Guggenheim Museum. Known for his skill and connoisseurship, he was notably the only Met restorer without a doctoral degree. Gibrat began acquiring antiquities in the early–mid 1960s and continued for more than three decades until his death in 1993.

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