Scarab with a Royal Title
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )
This steatite scarab is inscribed on the bottom with the "two royal aspects" title and the basic component of the unification icon (the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt). The top of the scarab is high and simple with carved details. The workmanship of the piece is good, and it is carefully made.
This amulet has kingship connotations, and was originally mounted or threaded. The royal title and the unification icon refer both the the association of the dualistic aspects of kingship and state, as well as of the whole creation. The amulet should provide its owner with royal support and guarantee a stable and well-organized environment. The unification icon also has a renewal connotation.
The combined use of the title and icon is much less common than the icon alone. The five times serration of the clypeus of the scarab is rare, and does not have many parallels.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911 (?) [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Palestine
(Place of Origin)
Egypt (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 3/8 x W: 1/2 x L: 11/16 in. (0.9 x 1.2 x 1.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1911 (?)
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
42.22