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Details
LOT 0515
Egyptian Scarab in Gold Mount
NEW KINGDOM, CIRCA 1500 B.C. OR EARLIER
3/4 in. (2.34 grams, 18 mm).
A glazed composition scarab with detailed serrated legs and with a-n-r, nub and nefer signs around a cartouche containing the incomplete name of Thutmose III to the underside; set in a later gold mount for suspension.
Provenance
Acquired 1969-1999.
London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent.
Literature
Cf. Ben-Tor, D., The Scarab: A Reflection of Ancient Egypt, Jerusalem, 1993, p.32, for a discussion of the a-n-r symbolism on scarabs.
Footnotes
The sign groups surrounding the cartouche are indicative of Asiatic scarab production of the Second Intermediate Period, where the craftsmen did not understand the meaning of hieroglyphs and used them for purely decorative reasons. This suggests that either the beetle and sun-disc signs in the cartouche are unintentionally similar to those of Thutmose III, or that this is a later scarab with an inaccurately rendered name of the king
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