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This light beige steatite scarab was originally glazed blue or green. The piece is inscribed on the flat underside with an image of a captive Libyan and a short column of hieroglyphics. The top of the piece is high with a detailed incised design. The workmanship is good and the piece is carefully made. This scarab functioned as a protective amulet and had royal connotations. It was originally mounted or threaded. The bottom motif refers to the royal control over all foreign countries and should ward off all dangers for its owner. It is imaginable that soldiers on an expedition or at the frontier used such amulets. The image of a fettered captive is a popular motif on scarabs, however, the figure of a captive is usually subordinate to the figure of a king. In this case, there is no representation of the king, only the short inscription, which refers to him. It is possible that such an amulet should provide magical protection for Egyptians traveling abroad or for Egyptian allies. The very round base and the style of the carvings are typical for the early 18th Dynasty.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- a2c7425f6bce5bdc
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 5639
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "5639",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.10",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Scarab with Bound Captive",
"description": "This light beige steatite scarab was originally glazed blue or green. The piece is inscribed on the flat underside with an image of a captive Libyan and a short column of hieroglyphics. The top of the piece is high with a detailed incised design. The workmanship is good and the piece is carefully made. This scarab functioned as a protective amulet and had royal connotations. It was originally mounted or threaded. The bottom motif refers to the royal control over all foreign countries and should ward off all dangers for its owner. It is imaginable that soldiers on an expedition or at the frontier used such amulets. The image of a fettered captive is a popular motif on scarabs, however, the figure of a captive is usually subordinate to the figure of a king. In this case, there is no representation of the king, only the short inscription, which refers to him. It is possible that such an amulet should provide magical protection for Egyptians traveling abroad or for Egyptian allies. The very round base and the style of the carvings are typical for the early 18th Dynasty.",
"provenance": "Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911 (?) [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.",
"date": "ca. 1550 BCE (New Kingdom, Dynasty 18)",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.10",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Precious Stones & Gems",
"scarabs",
"amulets"
],
"iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/CUR_42.10_VwA_DD_hierogyphictext_RS2009.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/CUR_42.10_VwA_DD_hierogyphictext_RS2009.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/CUR_42.10_VwA_DD_hierogyphictext_RS2009.jpg",
"imageCount": 6,
"pageCount": 6,
"source": "import",
"dimensions": [
{
"units": "cm",
"width": 0.7,
"height": 1.2,
"depth": 1.5
}
],
"dimensionsRaw": "H: 1/4 x W: 1/2 x L: 9/16 in. (0.7 x 1.2 x 1.5 cm)"
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "5639",
"label": "Scarab with Bound Captive",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.10"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "5639",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.10",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Scarab with Bound Captive",
"description": "This light beige steatite scarab was originally glazed blue or green. The piece is inscribed on the flat underside with an image of a captive Libyan and a short column of hieroglyphics. The top of the piece is high with a detailed incised design. The workmanship is good and the piece is carefully made. This scarab functioned as a protective amulet and had royal connotations. It was originally mounted or threaded. The bottom motif refers to the royal control over all foreign countries and should ward off all dangers for its owner. It is imaginable that soldiers on an expedition or at the frontier used such amulets. The image of a fettered captive is a popular motif on scarabs, however, the figure of a captive is usually subordinate to the figure of a king. In this case, there is no representation of the king, only the short inscription, which refers to him. It is possible that such an amulet should provide magical protection for Egyptians traveling abroad or for Egyptian allies. The very round base and the style of the carvings are typical for the early 18th Dynasty.",
"provenance": "Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911 (?) [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.",
"date": "ca. 1550 BCE (New Kingdom, Dynasty 18)",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.10",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Precious Stones & Gems",
"scarabs",
"amulets"
],
"iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/CUR_42.10_VwA_DD_hierogyphictext_RS2009.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/CUR_42.10_VwA_DD_hierogyphictext_RS2009.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/CUR_42.10_VwA_DD_hierogyphictext_RS2009.jpg",
"imageCount": 6,
"pageCount": 6,
"source": "import",
"dimensions": [
{
"units": "cm",
"width": 0.7,
"height": 1.2,
"depth": 1.5
}
],
"dimensionsRaw": "H: 1/4 x W: 1/2 x L: 9/16 in. (0.7 x 1.2 x 1.5 cm)"
}
Document source extras
{
"cul": "Egyptian",
"inscriptions": [
"[Translation] The sign order has been changed for aesthetic reasons",
"but the content is obvious. The figure of the captive has not only an iconic function",
"but it is also a determinative for the term \"\"foreign lands.\"\": Lord of all foreign lands."
],
"dynasty": "18th Dynasty",
"med": "light beige steatite; glaze, originally blue or green (?)",
"creator_ids": [
"6182"
],
"collection_ids": [
"EGY"
],
"exhibition_ids": []
}
Page context
{
"seq": 1,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/raw/CUR_42.10_Bot_DD_RS2009.jpg",
"mediaId": "a2c7425f6bce5bdc"
}