14kt. yellow gold scarab
PENDANT/FOB. An extraordinary piece, this Victorian era piece features an ancient Steatite scarab from the New Kingdom period
(roughly 1650 BC -1085 BC). The frame is decorated with lotus blossoms. which have
been featured extensively throughout the art of ancient Egypt. In various works
of art, you may see it held in the hand of a god or human, serving as a border
to outline a section of the artwork, unfolding to reveal various gods or humans,
and many other depictions. To the ancient Egyptians, a lotus bud or sesen
was a symbol of rebirth. It closes in the evening and falls to the water,
but in the morning it opens and is lifted above the surface. Its behavior
emulates that of the sun. Because of this rising and setting, it is also a
symbol of death and rebirth. According to one creation myth, a giant lotus
emerged from the watery chaos at the beginning of time. Out of its center,
the sun itself rose on the first morning. The ancient Egyptians maintained
that the sun was propelled across the heavens by means of a scarab, or sacred
beetle. With the passing of time, the Egyptians created a series of amulets in
the form of this beetle in a great variety of materials, and these were
routinely provided with inscriptions in hieroglyphs conveniently accommodated to
their stylized flat bottoms. This scarab features a flat back surface with
hieroglyphs. There is the standard rounded top which looks like a scarab beetle,
but the interesting feature of this piece is that the scarab swivels on a pivot
in the frame, so that you can wear either side facing forward. The gold is rich
and bloomed and features a nice hammered appearance. This piece can be worn as a
pendant, or some type of fob. It is quite large 2" tall X 1-1/4" wide.
The frame is in excellent condition, the scarab is quite old. The piece weighs
23.4 grams $2200.00
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