Watch List notes:

Egyptian Carnelian Scarab; New Kingdom, ca. 1567-1085 BC. The carving of this carnelian scarab is extraordinarily fine, from the beetle's striated head and notched clypeus to the feathering on its three-dimensionally rendered legs. Even the holes at either end of the scarab, which might have permitted stringing as a jewelry component or stitching to the bandages of a mummy, are exceptionally well carved. In stark contrast, the hieroglyphs on the base are quite crude. The prenomen cartouche of Thutmose III is accompanied by the epithet "the image of Amun" while a round-bottomed basket fills the curved space at either end. Scarabs bearing the name of Thutmose III were very popular and lesser quality examples were manufactured for centuries after the reign of this king, whose military expeditions expanded the boundaries of the Egyptian empire to its greatest limits and who therefore represented the pharaoh par excellence for later generations. Ex Rockford College Art Collection. Ex Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. Buy or Bid Sale 152, 19 December 2006, lot 368. L. 5/8" (1.6 cm)..

Buy price: $2750