Scarabs Inscribed for the God's Wife Neferure
Unknown Artist
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
Medium
Steatite (glazed)
Dimensions
L. 1.5 cm (9/16 in); w. 1.1 cm (7/16 in); h. 0.6 cm (1/4 in)
Classification
Scarab; Neferure, God's Wife; simple back
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.3.329
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art collection, these diminutive scarabs—crafted from glazed steatite around 1479–1458 B.C.—measure just 1.5 cm long, yet they pack a punch of royal significance from Egypt's New Kingdom, early Dynasty 18. Scarabs, shaped like the sacred dung beetle (symbolizing rebirth and the sun god Ra), were ubiquitous amulets, seals, and jewelry in ancient Egypt. These examples bear inscriptions for Neferure, a princess and powerful figure as the "God's Wife of Amun," a prestigious priestess role linking her to the god's temple at Thebes. Neferure, dau...