381, Lot: 647. Estimate $100. Sold for $575. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

New Kingdom. Circa 1550-1070 BC. Steatite scarab (13x10mm). Face inscribed with senew ta men ta (doubled) nefer neb (“lord pharaoh of Memphis” or “eternal beauty to the lord pharaoh”). Chip at top of face. Surface cracks on back. Pierced.

From the Carl Devries Collection.

“Memphis” is suggested here by the use of men nefer. In standard hieroglyphs, however, it was often written differently. A more direct translation of the hieroglyphs would be “eternal beauty,” although it is possible that multiple meanings were intended.