Egypt, 18th cent BC and later. This lot comprises of thirty-five miniature scarab seals made from steatite, stone and faience as well as miniature stone and steatite beads. One of them glazed in a beautiful malachite colour. Engraved impressions of hieroglyphs and auspicious symbols are still very crisp. All pieces with a hole to suspend them on a necklace or hang them around the wrist so that they were always available when needed. The scarab was one of the most popular talismans in ancient Egypt, the insect itself was a symbol of the sun God Re. Ankh and djed symbols (representing eternal life and stability, respectively) are often engraved on Egyptian scarab seals.
Provenance: Estate of Dr. Ernst Eichler (1932-2018), Vienna, Austria. Condition: Good condition commensurate with age.