Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 25th Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 664 BCE. A well-preserved faience scarab of ovoid insectile form covered in attractive turquoise glaze. Beneath the scarab is an intricate inscription - a column of hieroglyphs set within a cruciform border, perhaps a djed pillar, that read "The good god, Ni-khau-re" when translated. The scarab is set within the bezel of an antique pin setting made from 63.04% gold (equivalent to 15K+) that is wearable with nearly any attire. Size (scarab): 0.61" L x 0.43" W (1.5 cm x 1.1 cm); (pin setting): 1.79" L x 0.73" W (4.5 cm x 1.9 cm); gold quality: 63.04% (equivalent to 15K+); total weight: 5.8 grams

Amulets of the scarab were hugely popular for over a thousand years in ancient Egypt, a symbol with staying power similar to that of the Christian cross; they seem to have been worn and carried by the living, and by the time of the Late Period, they had also become part of the increasingly elaborate battery of items to be placed into graves for protection of the dead. The blue faience symbolized the regenerative powers of the Nile.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-influential family collection, Washington, DC, USA, acquired in the 1990s

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#175459

Wearable as shown and constructed in modern times. Faience scarab is ancient; gold setting is modern. Minor abrasions and fading to glaze pigment on scarab, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to insectile form and inscription on base.