Scarab that Praises Divine Kingship
The upper part of the scarab’s base shows a recumbent sphinx facing to the right, holding a hes-vase (meaning ‘praise’). A uraeus spreads its wings in a protective gesture towards the hybrid creature. The aroused cobra is closely related to the (divine) kingship and the sphinx – like the horse or the bull – is one of the animals that symbolizes the king. The lower part displays a falcon and three short vertical strokes followed by the image of a seated figure, possibly a king. Below is the hieroglyph for gold. The falcon on the gold sign is also a reference to the pharaoh and his divine status as the Golden Horus on earth. The entire composition therefore refers to divine kingship and may be understood as a blessing ‘praise to the king, the golden Horus in (his) many manifestations’.
Artwork Details
- Title: Scarab that Praises Divine Kingship
- Period: Third Intermediate Period or Late Period
- Dynasty: Dynasty 25–26
- Date: ca. 733–525 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Steatite
- Dimensions: L. 1.5 × W. 1.1 cm (9/16 × 7/16 in.)
- Credit Line: Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
- Object Number: 10.130.599
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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ca. 945–712 BCE
ca. 712–664 B.C.
4th–2nd century B.C.
ca. 733–664 BCE
550–300 B.C.
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