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Winged Scarab

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Nets made of faience beadwork became a fashionable feature of mummy wrappings in the Late Period. Faience amulets formed part of the beadwork pattern and served to protect the mummy through their magical properties. This scarab is one of the finer examples of such amulets. It served as a substitute heart that would ensure continued existence in the hereafter.

CULTURE Egyptian
MEDIUM Faience
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 712-342 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY second half of Dynasty 25 to Dynasty 30
    PERIOD Third Intermediate Period to Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 49.28a (Scarab): 7/8 × 1 5/8 × 2 1/2 in. (2.2 × 4.2 × 6.4 cm) 49.28b (Wing): 3/16 × 1 3/8 × 3 13/16 in. (0.5 × 3.5 × 9.7 cm) 49.28c (Wing): 3/16 × 1 5/16 × 3 13/16 in. (0.5 × 3.3 × 9.7 cm)  (show scale)
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    CAPTION Egyptian. Winged Scarab, ca. 712-342 B.C.E. Faience, 49.28a (Scarab): 7/8 × 1 5/8 × 2 1/2 in. (2.2 × 4.2 × 6.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 49.28a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 49.28a_SL1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 49.28a_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph