A steatite triple scarab. The base has been carved with hieroglyphic signs for the god Amun-Re, flanked by reeds. Supplied with a modern hard wax impression of the seal.
Egyptian New Kingdom Circa 1650-1000 BC.
Very Fine condition
Length 15.4 mms (0.6 ins)
Provenance: D. M. Collection (d. 1993), U.K. A.E Collection, U.K., gifted from the above in 1993. Private Collection, Devon, U.K. gifted from the above in 2018.
The purpose of a triple scarab was allied to the ancient Egyptian belief in sympathetic magic, where a symbol's power can be amplified by multiplication. It essentially acted as a more powerful version of a standard scarab amulet, imbuing the wearer or the deceased with a greater charge of good fortune and luck, protection against evil, or as a strong guarantee of rebirth and safe passage to the afterlife.