The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Heart Scarab of Nefer

Heart Scarab of Nefer

1540–1296 BCE
Overall: 2.9 x 5.7 x 7.6 cm (1 1/8 x 2 1/4 x 3 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

The design features in these objects borrow various ancient Egyptian funerary elements. The scale illustrated on top of the Cartier vanity case refers to the scale used in Osiris’s final judgment of the deceased. Amulets like the heart scarab were essential to the mummification process. They were placed throughout the mummy’s wrappings to protect the deceased during their journey in the afterlife. These inspired the Dior brooch seen on the model here. The ancient Egyptians believed amulets carried spells and that some, like the heart scarab, could sway opinions during the final
judgement to help the deceased get to their version of heaven, called Iaru.
  • Formerly in the collection of William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney, Didlington Hall, Norfolk; sold: Amherst Sale, lot 597. Purchased through Howard Carter
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 8, no. 9 (1921): 138-41. Mentioned: p. 138 www.jstor.org
    Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 525
  • Egyptomania: Fashion's Conflicted Obsession. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 1, 2023-January 28, 2024).
    Cleveland, State Theatre, 28 September-16 October 1922, publicity campaign
  • {{cite web|title=Heart Scarab of Nefer|url=false|author=|year=1540–1296 BCE|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.1030