A steatite Egyptian scarab amulet with incised features. The top is carved with the detailed anatomy of a scarab, including a moulded head and clypeus, with incised lines marking the prothorax and elytra. The base is carved with a cartouche containing the seated figure of the goddess Ma'at, holding an ankh amulet. Above her is a small sun disk. Below her is the 'neb' basket hieroglyph. Together these would read, as written, as Neb-maat-re', the prenomen of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III.
Circa 15th-6th century BC.
Very Fine condition
Length 15.3 mms (0.6 ins)
Provenance: From the Gustave Mustaki collection, a collector of antiquities who amassed large collection in Alexandria (Egypt) in the early 20th century and his collection came to the UK under Egyptian licence in 1947.
Literature: Compare with items 117-120: Raphael Giveon: Egyptian Scarabs From Western Asia From The Collections of The British Museum.