Mounted Scarab of Hatshepsut
ca. 1478–1458 B.C.E.
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Personal Arts
The reigns of Hatshepsut through Thutmose IV represent a transitional phase in Eighteenth Dynasty art.
At first, artists continued to favor simple, elegant forms common earlier in the dynasty, but eventually they developed elaborate, highly detailed designs that dominated the dynasty’s final decades. Under Amunhotep II and Thutmose IV, for example, craftsmen increased the use of a soft, pastel blue pigment that had been invented during the reign of Thutmose III. Potters also molded vessels in human and animal form, and artisans rediscovered the Middle Kingdom fascination for colorful stones such as red carnelian.
Art historians consider the scarabs (beetleshaped amulets) of this era among the finest ever made. Figure Vase of Woman Holding Dog
The reigns of Hatshepsut through Thutmose IV represent a transitional phase in Eighteenth Dynasty art.
At first, artists continued to favor simple, elegant forms common earlier in the dynasty, but eventually they developed elaborate, highly detailed designs that dominated the dynasty’s final decades. Under Amunhotep II and Thutmose IV, for example, craftsmen increased the use of a soft, pastel blue pigment that had been invented during the reign of Thutmose III. Potters also molded vessels in human and animal form, and artisans rediscovered the Middle Kingdom fascination for colorful stones such as red carnelian.
Art historians consider the scarabs (beetleshaped amulets) of this era among the finest ever made. Figure Vase of Woman Holding Dog
Caption
Mounted Scarab of Hatshepsut, ca. 1478–1458 B.C.E.. Gold, steatite, glaze, 9/16 × 7/8 in. (1.4 × 2.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Theodora Wilbour from the collection of her father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 35.1118. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Mounted Scarab of Hatshepsut
Date
ca. 1478–1458 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Place collected: Egypt, Possible place made: Thebes, Egypt
Medium
Gold, steatite, glaze
Classification
Dimensions
9/16 × 7/8 in. (1.4 × 2.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Theodora Wilbour from the collection of her father, Charles Edwin Wilbour
Accession Number
35.1118
Frequent Art Questions
Were these worn as personal jewelry?
Rings and amulets like these were worn in life, and it was also common to bury a mummy adorned with jewelry.You will see scarab beetles in a lot of jewelry, like the pieces here. To the Egyptians, the scarab represented the cycle of the sun and rebirth.Dung beetles create balls of dung in which they lay their eggs and then roll the balls around the desert. When the eggs hatch they emerge from the dung ball as if by magic. Fascinated by this process, one Ancient Egyptian belief was that a similar beetle rolled the sun across the sky!
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