Scarab
Artist
Maker unknown
(Egyptian)
Date3rd-1st Century BC
MediumSemi-precious stones and clay
DimensionsBox Overall: 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 x 1/2in. (8.3 x 10.8 x 1.3cm)
ClassificationsPERSONAL ARTIFACTS
Credit LineInstitute Collection
Object number85.66.1-6
DescriptionA box with five scarabs, in varying sizes and colors. The cover of the box reads: Scarabaei.On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextCollectors favored scarabs for reuse in items such as jewelry and as souvenirs. Frederick and Rachel Proctor probably purchased this set as a souvenir during their 1902 trip to Egypt. The large center scarab is made of "Egyptian Blue," a glass frit (powder) that was also used as a pigment. It is pierced with holes and would have originally been paired with wings and sewn onto the bandages covering the chest of a mummy. Scarabs were copied even in antiquity. The red carnelian scarab is an Etruscan product from Italy. The dark colored "button" appears to be an early fake scarab.
