Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing or Wish

Unknown

ca. 1070–664 B.C. · Limestone · Egyptian Art

The base of this scarab expresses a blessing related to abundance. It displays a heron, sitting on a hieroglyph as if on a perch, and a duck with the three strokes that indicate the plural. The ancient Egyptians considered the heron to represent aspects of the gods Atum, Re and Osiris. This sacred heron, or Benu bird, is connected to acts of creation and renewal, which eventually lead the Greeks to assimilate it with the Phoenix. It is represented as a bird with tall legs, a long neck, a straight beak, and a two-feathered crest. As a hieroglyph, it can also mean ‘to overflow’. The duck with plural stands for abundance or provisions, for the living, for the dead, or for the gods.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1070–664 B.C.

Medium

Limestone

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904