Scarab praising Khonsu and Toth

Culture

Egyptian, 19th dynasty, New Kingdom , 1295 BC – 1186 BC

Size

1,6 cm

Provenance

Dutch private collection, Ex Bonhams

Bodo Bless (1940-2022) collection, Berlin, formed from 1960s.

Description

This scarab is inscribed with hnsw Hsy: ‘Favored of  Khonsu and Thoth’. Khonsu is the Egyptian god of the moon. Toth is the god of learning and writing. Khonsu is written out in hieroglyphs at the top. Below is a baboon which may represent Thoth, although Khonsu was also a lunar deity and he is sometimes represented by a baboon. Facing the baboon is a ‘hes’ vase, representing praise.

Scarabs were worn as jewelry, carried as talismans, and placed in tombs. They were believed to protect the living from harm and guide the dead safely into the afterlife. Many scarabs were inscribed with names of pharaohs, prayers, or protective spells. Officials used them as personal seals pressed into clay or wax. Some had purely decorative or symbolic inscriptions, while others carried political or diplomatic messages. They were made from a wide range of substances:  steatite (soapstone), faience (glazed ceramic), carnelian, lapis lazuli, and even precious metals.

Translation available by Dutch Egyptologist Huub Pragt.

Condition

Excellent condition

Parallels

www.imj.org.il/en/collections/604390-0

www.imj.org.il/en/collections/598233-0

www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/scarab-393

Price

€ 650