Scarab of Thutmose III Mounted in Ring
1 of 3
Object Label
Personal Arts
The reigns of Hatshepsut through Thutmose IV represent a transitional phase in Eighteenth Dynasty art.
At first, artists continued to favor simple, elegant forms common earlier in the dynasty, but eventually they developed elaborate, highly detailed designs that dominated the dynasty’s final decades. Under Amunhotep II and Thutmose IV, for example, craftsmen increased the use of a soft, pastel blue pigment that had been invented during the reign of Thutmose III. Potters also molded vessels in human and animal form, and artisans rediscovered the Middle Kingdom fascination for colorful stones such as red carnelian.
Art historians consider the scarabs (beetleshaped amulets) of this era among the finest ever made. Figure Vase of Woman Holding Dog
Caption
Scarab of Thutmose III Mounted in Ring, ca. 1479–1425 B.C.E.. Steatite, glaze, gold, 1/2 × 15/16 × 1 3/16 in. (1.3 × 2.4 × 3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.720E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.720E_overall01_PS22.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Scarab of Thutmose III Mounted in Ring
Date
ca. 1479–1425 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Steatite, glaze, gold
Classification
Dimensions
1/2 × 15/16 × 1 3/16 in. (1.3 × 2.4 × 3 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.720E
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Were these worn as personal jewelry?
Rings and amulets like these were worn in life, and it was also common to bury a mummy adorned with jewelry.You will see scarab beetles in a lot of jewelry, like the pieces here. To the Egyptians, the scarab represented the cycle of the sun and rebirth.Dung beetles create balls of dung in which they lay their eggs and then roll the balls around the desert. When the eggs hatch they emerge from the dung ball as if by magic. Fascinated by this process, one Ancient Egyptian belief was that a similar beetle rolled the sun across the sky!
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at