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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Peter Harholdt.
Winged Scarab
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Peter Harholdt.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Peter Harholdt.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Peter Harholdt.
ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Winged Scarab

AAT Object Form/FunctionBead Necklace
AAT Object Form/FunctionPectoral (Jewelry)
AAT Object Form/FunctionBeadwork (Visual Works)
Place FoundEgypt, Africa
CultureEgyptian
PeriodLate Period or later
Dateafter 722 BCE
MediumFaience, linen
Credit LineCollected by William A. Shelton, funded by John A. Manget
Dimensions14 15/16 in. (38 cm)
Object number1921.066 A/B
Label TextThe powerful regenerative symbolism of the scarab accounts for its popularity as a funerary amulet. Large winged scarabs were sewn onto mummy wrappings or incorporated into bead-net shrouds. These compositions could be made out of faience or beadwork, as in this example.

During the Late Period, the ancient Egyptians adorned their mummies with networks of beads. Winged scarab pectorals were often sewn into these nets as were other images of gods and goddesses.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - Present
Published ReferencesPeter Lacovara and Betsy Teasley Trope, The Realm of Osiris (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum 2001), 58.
ProvenanceAcquired for Emory University Museum by William Shelton (1875-1959), ca. 1920.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art