Egyptian Turquoise-Glazed Steatite Scarab with Hathor Emblem

£ 250.00

A delicate and detailed turquoise glazed steatite scarab decorated to the reverse. The front of the scarab includes fine details to the head and clypeas. The body remains plain but indentations to the side allude to the elytra, wing coverings. The reverse depicts a stylised face, wearing an elaborate headdress. On either side are two flanking uraei. The amulet is pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Date: Circa 1550 - 1070 BC
Period: New Kingdom
Provenance: Ex private London based collection, AH, formerly in English family collections acquired from the 1920s - 1990s.
Condition: Excellent. Very clear and precise hieroglyphs

SOLD

SKU: AH-917 Category: Tags: , , ,

We see a stylised figure which strongly resembles the Egyptian representation of the goddess Hathor. Iconographically she was usually depicted as a woman with the head, or ears of a cow. She is occasionally depicted as a cow. She was considered a primal goddess and the goddess of joy, music, feminine love and motherhood. On scarabs she is often associated with the sistrum and appears frontally with a headdress. In Egyptian iconography this is often seen as a tall striated element, whilst Canaanite depictions include additional plumage. It is also common to see uraei flanking her profile.

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

Weight 0.36 g
Dimensions L 1 x W 0.6 cm
Culture

Egyptian Mythology

Region

Stone