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Peter Reynaers

Two Egyptian steatite frog-shaped scaraboid seals, 1550–1295 B.C.  
ITEM 1. A glazed steatite seal surmounted by a frog is pierced lengthwise through the base. The obverse is decorated with an uraeus in upright form above an nb-sign (neb) and the feather of Ma’at above. To the right is an nfr-sign (nefer, "good"). A single line encircles the decoration. Date: Eighteenth (1550–1295 B.C.) Dynasty. Glaze: dark green, pale in places. Technique: modelling line with good cutting. Preservation: very good. Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 6 (height) mm. Weight: 0.7 g. 
Commentary. The frog deity, Heket, represents childbirth.  The feather of Ma'at is a symbol of justice, truth, order, and the law. As a symbol of royalty, deity, and divine authority, the uraeus is also associated with the goddess Wadjet.
The item bears a similarity to the OIP 118 Scarabs Catalogue item #171, a frog scaraboid, in which a sun disk replaces the feather of Ma’at as a cryptographic writing of Amun (uraeus [irt] = I, nfr = m, and nb = n). Another similar seal is OIP 118 #144 cowroid, in which a winged disk replaced the feather of Ma’at. The catalogue deciphers a cryptographic writing as "Amun is the lord." Newberry's 1907 catalogue presents a similar sun disk - uraeus – nefer - neb seal that Newberry indicated as "Luxor" (Plate XLI, #36). The shape of the uraeus with an elongated body and two curves in Newberry's item is almost identical to the shape of the uraeus in the current item. The Cairo Museum holds similar design seals (Newberry's Catalogue, 1907; ##37009, 36939, 36930), but all of them feature a sun disk and are scarabs.
This item is accompanied by an illustrated Certificate of Authenticity. 

ITEM 2. In this glazed steatite seal, the obverse is decorated with a cross with four pendent uraei in each of the four quadrants, but two upper ones are not completed. A single line encircles the decoration. Date: Eighteenth (1550–1295 B.C.) Dynasty. Glaze: green, pale in places. Technique: modelling line, cutting good. Preservation: very good. Dimensions: 11 x 7 x 7 (height) mm. Weight: 0.6 g.
OIP 118 Scarab Catalogue describes two 18th Dynasty scarabs with a similar design (##150, 151) as "a cross with four pendent uraei." These items are similar, but not identical to the current item, and are scarabs. I did not find the exact composition of the current item on frog-shaped scaraboids. The catalogues described this pattern only on scarabs.  
Similar items are displayed in the National Museums Liverpool (Frog Amulet, 1352 BC - 1336 BC, Dynasty 18: Reign of Akhenaten), Emory’s Atlanta, USA, campus, the Michael C. Carlos Museum (Frog Scaraboid, New Kingdom, 1539-1077 BCE), The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York (Scaraboid, frog, New Kingdom, ca. 1550–1295 B.C.), and the Art Institute of Chicago (Scaraboid of a Frog; Ankh Sign on Underside. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1550–1295 BCE). 
This item is accompanied by an illustrated Certificate of Authenticity. 

Provenance:
The items were brought to Russia by Vladimir S. Golenishchev (1856-1947) either after his excavations in Wadi Hammamat in 1884-85 or his trip to Egypt in 1888-89 (Golenishchev, 1890). Besides major Russian museums, some items were sent to the Museum of Antiques of Kazan University, and another part of the findings was sold to cover expedition expenses. Flavian M. Flavitsky (1848-1917), who was a professor of chemistry at Kazan University, bought some of them. These two frogs were purchased by the great-grandfather of the current owner from Flavitsky in Moscow in 1894. It was kept in the family collection since. The third similar frog was kept at the Kazan Museum of Antiques (Turaev, 1903, item #26). 
The seller guarantees that he acquired these pieces in accordance with all applicable national and international laws governing the ownership of cultural property. The export license will be finalized based on the buyer's country, worldwide shipping by Registered Mail. 
Literature.
Golenishchev, V. Archaeological Results of the Trip in Egypt during the Winter of 1888-1889. St. Petersburg, 1890 [in Russian]. 
Turaev B.A. The Description of the Museum of Antiquities' Egyptian Collection at the Imperial Kazan University. St. Petersburg, 1903 [in Russian]. 
Newberry, Percy E. Egyptian antiquities: scarabs; an introduction to the study of Egyptian seals and signet rings, with forty-four plates and one hundred and sixteen illustrations in the text. London: A. Constable and co., ltd., 1906. 
Newberry, Percy E. Scarab-shaped seals. Catalogue Général des Antiquités Égyptiennes du Musée du Caire. Nos. 36001 – 37521. London: A. Constable and Co., 1907. 
The Timins collection of ancient Egyptian scarabs and cylinder seals. London: Archibald Constable. 1907.
Hall, H.R. Catalogue of Egyptian Scarabs, Etc., in the British Museum. London: Oxford University Press, 1913. 
Teeter, Emily. Scarabs, Scaraboids, Seals, and Seal Impressions from Medinet Habu. Chicago: Oriental Institute Publications, vol. 118 (OIP 118), 2003. 


Very good condition - slightly used with small signs of wear

Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom - steatite - Scaraboid

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Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom - steatite - Scaraboid

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