Scarab that Praises Divine Kingship

Third Intermediate Period or Late Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

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’.

Scarab that Praises Divine Kingship, Steatite

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