Winged Scarab

The ancient Egyptians believed that the dung beetle, the Scarabaeus sacer, was one of the manifestations of the sun god. Representations of these beetles were used as amulets, and for ritual or administrative purposes.

Winged scarabs were part of the amulet set of a mummy. This example has a flat, undecorated bottom, and is executed in one piece. The beetle is glazed dark blue, and the wings light green. The back of the scarab is flat, the highest points are pronotum (dorsal plate of the prothorax) and elytron (wing cases). There are no separation lines between the different parts of the back. The head section consists of the semicircular head, trapezoidal side plates, and a large trapezoidal clypeus (front plate). The slightly raised extremities are modeled. Four small drill-holes flank the body, two at each side. The wings are somewhat asymmetrically, and the right one is smaller than the left. They display a tripartite surface structure. The inner part shows facet design, the middle and outer part a feather pattern. A large drill-hole exists at each tip of the wings.

Such winged scarabs are funerary amulets, and were originally attached to mummy wrappings. The amulet should assure the renewal of the deceased in the afterlife by the sun god. Winged scarabs consist mostly of several pieces, the scarab and two attached wings (e.g. Walters Art Museum, 42.1430, 42.1448), one-piece examples are more rare.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.