Scarab with the Representation of a Sphinx

Scarab with the Representation of a Sphinx

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The underside of the scarab shows a stylized representation of a recumbent human-headed sphinx, wearing a crown. A vertical motif in front of the creature probably represents a uraeus (the aroused cobra), while a vulture flies above. The scene refers to divine kingship because the sphinx is one of the animals that symbolizes the king. This is emphasized by the presence of the uraeus and the vulture, which are closely related to the pharaoh as representations of the titulary goddesses of Lower and Upper Egypt, Wadjet and Nekhbet.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scarab with the Representation of a SphinxScarab with the Representation of a SphinxScarab with the Representation of a SphinxScarab with the Representation of a SphinxScarab with the Representation of a Sphinx

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.