An Egyptian Steatite Design Scarab, Hyksos Period, ca. 1759 - 1539 BCE
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The flat scarb is depicted naturalistically with legs folded at the sides, a longitudal ridge with a miniature scarab centered down the back. The underside is depicted with a central nefer symbol, surrounded by a ring of eight deeply-incided concentric circles.
The Hyksos Period was a time of complex cultural interaction in the Nile Delta when local Egyptian traditions mixed with Levantine influences. Scarabs were among the most popular amulets in everyday and funerary life, worn on cords, set into rings, or laid in tombs. Steatite was commonly used because it took a fine polish and accepted a brightly colored glaze, often blue or green, which imitated faience. The decorative, non-hieroglyphic underside design here—a symmetrical cross with stepped linear fillings—is typical of “design” scarabs produced for personal use rather than as official seals, and it reflects the geometric tastes of the period as well as economical production for a broad market.
Medium: Steatite
Dimensions: Length: 5/8 inch (1.5 cm)
Condition: Minor loss to the suspension hole, otherwise the scarab is intact and in excellent condition.
Provenance: Nora Scott (1905 – 1994), Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (retired 1972), and acquired from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by deaccession. Gifted to L. Virginia Burton (1918–2009) Associate Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (retired 1977), and then by descent.
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