Heart Scarab Feldspar Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664 – 332 BC. 2.8 cm long. Provenance: Private collection, France. Acquired at various auction houses between the 1970s and 2010. In Ancient Egypt, feldspar was a highly valued mineral due to its color and symbolic properties, especially in the manufacture of amulets and ornamental objects. The most commonly used type was green feldspar, known as amazonite, which was associated with fertility, protection, and eternal life. Its green hue evoked the rebirth and regenerative power of the Nile, so it was considered a sacred material. The Egyptians carved amulets with symbolic shapes, such as scarabs, udjat eyes, and figures of gods, using feldspar for its beauty and durability. These amulets were worn by both the living and the dead, placed among the bandages of mummies to protect the soul in the afterlife. In addition, feldspar was believed to have magical properties that warded off evil and promoted spiritual balance, which is why it was used constantly for centuries in Egyptian funerary art. Khepri is an ancient Egyptian deity associated with rebirth, the rising sun, and transformation. He is commonly depicted as a dung beetle or as a man with a beetle's head. This connection stems from the beetle's behavior, which rolls balls of dung where it lays its eggs, from which new offspring emerge. The Egyptians saw this cycle as a metaphor for rebirth and spontaneous creation. Khepri personifies the daily movement of the sun at dawn, pushing it across the sky just as the beetle pushes its sphere. His name comes from the Egyptian verb kheper, which means “to come into being” or “to become.” Beetle-shaped amulets were extremely popular and were worn as symbols of protection, regeneration, and good fortune. Many were placed over the hearts of the deceased during the mummification process, with magical inscriptions to ensure resurrection in the afterlife.