Scarab with Papyrus Motif

Scarab with Papyrus Motif

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plants are a popular theme on the underside of ancient Egyptian seal-amulets because they refer to life, renewal, and regeneration. They mainly consist of representations of papyrus plants, and lotus flowers and their buds. This late Middle Kingdom scarab (late Dynasty 12–Dynasty 13, ca. 1850–1640 B.C.) shows two papyrus stems emerging from baskets (neb), each placed at opposite sides of the composition. Parallel lines connect the fanning, flowering end with the stem of the plant.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scarab with Papyrus MotifScarab with Papyrus MotifScarab with Papyrus MotifScarab with Papyrus MotifScarab with Papyrus Motif

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.