Scarab with Uraeus and Papyrus Plants

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A large uraeus, its tail curled up behind him and its body decorated with fine hatched lines, dominates the design on the underside of this late Middle Kingdom scarab (late Dynasty 12–13, ca. 1850-1640 B.C.). On either side are papyrus plants, consisting of one straight and one bent stem. They are placed tête-bêche, that is upside down to each other, and parallel lines connect the stems. Plants are a popular theme on Egyptian seal-amulets because they refer to life, renewal, and regeneration, and during the Middle Kingdom they are often paired with other powerful signs. While the papyrus plants are found on seals throughout the Middle Kingdom, the large uraeus is not introduced into the repertoire of motifs until late Dynasty 12 (ca. 1850–1802 B.C.).

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