Egyptian
A group of nine Egyptian hardstone beetle amulets, Middle Kingdom, 11th – 12th Dynasty, circa 2000 - 1800 BC
Hardstone
Maximum length of amulets: 1.4 cm
Composed of carnelian, obsidian, quartz, amethyst, and green jasper anatomically detailed beetle amulets.
Composed of carnelian, obsidian, quartz, amethyst, and green jasper anatomically detailed beetle amulets.
Provenance
With Beaux Arts Trades, Hong Kong, 1980s
With Galerie Nefer, Zurich, 1993
Private collection, Aarau, thence by descent
Private collection, Switzerland
Exhibitions
On Loan: Antikenmuseum Basel & Sammlung Ludwig, 1998 – 2022Literature
Beetles in ancient Egypt appear to have been associated with rebirth. Scarabs were the most common, but amulets of other beetles may have had similar connotations.