Egyptian Steatite Scarab Dedicated to Thutmosis IV

$466.92

A steatite Egyptian scarab beetle amulet with incised features such as clypeus, prothorax and elytra marked by single lines. The reverse features three registers incised with hieroglyphs. To the left is a large winged uraeus sign, sitting ontop of a basket ‘neb’ sign. Within the centre is a prominent oval cartouche, featuring the signs ‘men-kheper-re’. Underneath the ‘kheper’ scarab hieroglyph are three additional dots, attributing this seal to the reign of Thutmosis IV. The hieroglyphs to the right commence with the signs ‘ntr nfr’, followed by another basket symbol and two horizontal strokes, transliterating as ‘nb t ȝwy’. Together the two phrases transliterate as ‘nṯr nfr nb tȝwy’ and translate as ‘Perfect god, Lord of the Two Lands’.

The amulet is pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Date: Circa 1400 - 1390 BC
Period: New Kingdom Period, Dynasty 18
Provenance: Ex private London based collection, AH, formerly in English family collections acquired from the 1920s - 1990s.
Condition: Very fine with remains of original turquoise glaze still visible.

SOLD

SKU: AH-876 Category: Tags: ,

Thutmosis IV was the son of Amenhotep II and grandson to the great Thutmosis III. He had a brief reign of 10 years and his greatest accomplishments were the restoration of the Great Sphinx of Giza and the subsequent commissioning of the Dream Stele. Thutmosis IV shares the same prenomen as his illustrious grandfather, who was particularly revered. The sharing of names was common for pharaohs looking to enhance their own image. Their cartouches differ with the addition of three dots at the base for Thutmose IV.

To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.

Weight 3.24 g
Dimensions L 2 cm
Culture

Egyptian Pharaohs

Stone

Region