Scarab with Two Figures Holding a Scepter

Late Period ?

664–525 BCE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

Two figures stand on either side of a large was-scepter, which they each grasp. They wear a head cloth or wig, topped by an oval with two vertical extensions. These possibly refers to the papyrus stalks seen on the head of fertility gods such as the Nile god Hapy. On scarabs, these fertility gods are often depicted as a pair standing on either side of the sema-tawy, the symbol of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The central element in this scene is, however, the was-scepter, a symbol of power and strength.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Scarab with Two Figures Holding a Scepter
Period: Late Period ?
Dynasty: Dynasty 26 ?
Date: 664–525 BCE
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Faience or glass
Dimensions: L. 1.5 × W. 1.1 × H. 0.8 cm (9/16 × 7/16 × 5/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
Object Number: 10.130.694
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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