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HJB Home > Antiquities Home > The Fixed Price List > Egyptian > Inv. # aq14500

Egyptian Pair of Egyptian Deep Blue Faience Scarab Wings Late Period, ca. 715-330 BC. Each wing has four drill holes to permit sewing onto the bandages of a mummy, originally on either side of a matching scarab beetle. The scarab beetle was a common symbol of regeneration for the Egyptians, and its use as a funerary amulet was meant to guarantee the resurrection of the deceased in the Afterlife. Three-piece ensembles consisting of a beetle and its two wings, depicting the insect in flight, emphasized the symbolism of flying to resurrection. The back of each wing bears the impression of linen cloth, probably from the stage of the manufacturing process when the faience paste was set aside to dry before firing (rather than from the mummy bandages to which these wings were once fastened.) Restoration to one wing. Ex Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. 142nd Buy or Bid Sale 15 March 2005, lot 421. L. 2 3/8 each (6 cm each).