Glass scarab
Unknown Artist
4th century BCE
Medium
Glass, yellow
Dimensions
Other: 3/8 x 9/16 in. (1 x 1.4 cm)
Classification
Gems
Culture & Period
Etruscan · Late Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.194.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate yellow glass scarab, in Etruria during the 4 century BCE Late Classical period, measures a mere 3/8 x 9/16 inches (1 x 1.4 cm), yet packs a punch of ancient ingenuity. As a gem from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Greek and Roman Art department—gifted by J.pont Morgan in 191—it showcases the Etruscans' flair for miniature masterpieces, blending local craftsmanship with borrowed Eastern motifs. Scarabs, beetle-shaped amulets popularized in Egypt as symbols of rebirth and protection, were enthusiastically adopted by the Etruscans as seals, jewelry, or talismans. This example like...