Skip Navigation

Collection Menu
<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg)
"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg)
<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_bottom_PS2.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_bottom_PS2.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_front_PS2.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_front_PS2.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_back_PS2.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_back_PS2.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_right_PS2.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_right_PS2.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_left_PS2.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_left_PS2.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_SL1.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_SL1.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_NegA_SL4.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_NegA_SL4.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_NegB_SL4.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_NegB_SL4.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_NegC_SL4.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_NegC_SL4.jpg)

<em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.475E_bottom.jpg)

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.475E_bottom.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
In the first eleven years of his reign, Amunhotep III issued more than two hundred large scarabs (beetle-shaped amulets) inscribed with descriptions of important events, such as a wild-cattle hunt or the building of an artificial lake. Of these commemorative scarabs, fifty-six list the king’s complete titles, the boundaries of the empire, and Queen Tiye’s title and parents’ names. This formal statement of Tiye’s lineage and her official link to Amunhotep III have led most Egyptologists to call these objects “marriage scarabs” even though they do not mention the royal union.
MEDIUM Faience
  • Place Made: Egypt
    • DATES ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 18
    PERIOD New Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.475E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Blue faience scarab, commemorating the marriage of Amenhotep III with Queen Tiy. The inscription on the underside is inlaid with bluish-white glaze. There are additional inscriptions on two sides, under the legs of the beetle – right) name of Queen Tiy; left) throne name of Amenhotep III. Probably sent to dignitaries of Egypt as announcements. Condition: Good, except for the blowholes in glaze surface, and the wearing away of the bluish white glaze in the hieroglyphs.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION "Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE top, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    <em>"Marriage Scarab" of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye</em>, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in. (2.8 x 5 x 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.475E_top_PS2.jpg)

    TAGS

    18th Dynasty
    Amenhotep III
    amulet
    bead
    Beetle
    Beetle Amulet
    blue
    ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.
    Document
    Dynasty 18
    Dynasty XVIII
    Egypt
    Eighteenth Dynasty
    Elizabeth Riefstahl
    faience
    faience glaze
    Glazed
    hieroglyphs
    Hyreoglyphs
    Inscribed
    jewelry
    marriage
    New Kingdom
    New York Historic Society Collection
    Purplish blue
    queen
    royal
    royal women
    scarab
    Scarb, Stamps and Sealings
    Seal
    Stamp
    Text
    titulary
    Tiye

    TAGS

    18th Dynasty
    Amenhotep III
    amulet
    bead
    Beetle
    Beetle Amulet
    blue
    ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.
    Document
    Dynasty 18
    Dynasty XVIII
    Egypt
    Eighteenth Dynasty
    Elizabeth Riefstahl
    faience
    faience glaze
    Glazed
    hieroglyphs
    Hyreoglyphs
    Inscribed
    jewelry
    marriage
    New Kingdom
    New York Historic Society Collection
    Purplish blue
    queen
    royal
    royal women
    scarab
    Scarb, Stamps and Sealings
    Seal
    Stamp
    Text
    titulary
    Tiye

    RELATED OBJECTS

    Bowl with Lug Handles Dish in the Form of a Trussed Duck Model Food Offering of Trussed Duck Hollow Figure of a Trussed Duck Kohl Tube in the Form of a Fish Double Kohl Tube with Applicator Canopic Jar with Cover Canopic Jar with Cover Canopic Jar with Cover Canopic Jar with Cover Cylindrical Tube Amulet Single Strand Necklace with Bead and 5 Scarabs Blue-painted Storage Jar Water Bottle Mirror Disk Furniture Leg, Probably from a Bed Cylindrical Bead Faceted Barrel Beads Winged Scarab Counterweight of a Necklace Mummy Mask of a Man Elaborately Painted Shroud of Neferhotep, Son of Herrotiou Shabty of Lady Sati Heart Scarab of DjedmutesAnkh Scarab of Thutmose III Ring with Inlays Ostrakon with Demotic Inscription Royal Statues in Procession Mold for Amulet of Seated Goddess Holding Papyrus Scepter Mold for Floral Petal Bead Wadjet-eye Amulet Mold Mold for Plaque with Name of Tutankhamun Conventionalized Bunch of Grapes Papyrus Column Amulet Figure of Anubis Standing Figure of the Child Horus Standing Shabty of Ankhesenmut Amulet in the Form of Two Eyes Figure of Cow Wadjet-eye Amulet Scarab Form Magic Gem Tile Fragment Fragment from a Vase Scarab Mummy Mask Ear Stud Single Strand Necklace Cowroid with Ankh Sign Scarab Green-Glazed Plaque Plaque Motto Scarab Apkallu-figure Pyramids at Giza (View from northeast of the pyramids of Chephren and Cheops) Khaemhat Heart Amulet with Head of a Scarab Coffin Texts from the Tomb of Harhotep Fragment of a Parapet Scarab Paperweight Spouted Vessel in the Form of a Bull