Scarab

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This scarab was found in the same coffin as the statuettes of Amenemhab (26.7.1413a, b) and Huwebenef (26.7.1414a, b). An interesting mixture of designs indicates the lively individuality of artworks made during this transitional period. The back type, which has no indication of the beetle's wing cases, is typical of Second Intermediate Period scarabs found in the Nile Delta, and the rope pattern framing the design on the base had been used since the Middle Kingdom; both of these designs continued into early Dynasty 18. The winged scarab on the base is a new feature that becomes more common during the reigns of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. The notches on the beetle's carefully delineated wing cases are found regularly on the backs of scarabs dating to their joint reign.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art