This is a pectoral of a winged scarab that belonged to King Tut. Howard Carter discovered the scarab in the tomb of Tutankhamen, in 1992. The piece is made up of gold, carnelian, turquoise, green feldspar, lapis lazuli, and calcite. It measures 9 cm high and 10.5 cm wide. Line had been used thoughtfully throughout the ornate artefact. The patterns across the wings of the scarab create movement through the piece and draw the viewer’s eyes around its entirety, creating a form of balance. Additionally, the colours implemented complement each other very well: greens and reds, blues and orange. Such vibrant colours would indicate a high degree of wealth in Ancient Egyptian times. Made in the 18th Dynasty, during the reign of King Tut, the intention behind the piece was to display the pharaoh’s name across his chest. Throughout Egyptian history, pharaohs were commonly given multiple names during their lifetime. This included a name at birth and a name once enthroned. In this case, Tutankhamen was the king’s birth name, and Nebkheperure was the name given once he became pharaoh. The pectoral depicts the king’s throne name. From both a historical and linguistic standpoint it is very interesting to see how the different forms and movements of the piece make up the spelling of his name. First, “Neb”, represented by the semi-circle Earth gem, means, “lord”. Next, the scarab, “Kheper”, can mean “being”, “form”, or “manifestation”, and the three plural strokes below the scarab change the spelling to “Kheperu”. Finally, the sun supported by the scarab, “Re”, is delineative of the sun god; Ra. King Tut’s throne name translates to “The Lordly Manifestation of the Sun.” To this untrained eye, this would be a hidden secret in the puzzle of precious materials. Citations: http://africanhistory.about.com/od/egyptology/ig/TutenkhamunEx/TutankhamunExPectoral.htm http://www.touregypt.net/museum/tutl37.htm https://books.google.ca/books?id=DJ1cujTQAsYC&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=neb+kheperu+res+scarab+pectoral&source=bl&ots=G4L59mKgpC&sig=mZqK2XZzcVa78ovoAIhunUELG0E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEYQ6AEwCWoVChMIs-mH_fvSyAIVRJmICh3mvA7p#v=onepage&q=nebkheperure’sscarabpectoral&f=false
