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Egyptian Revival Scarab Brooch

Egyptian Revival Scarab Brooch

© Memorial Hall Museum, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association

Madeline Yale Wynne incorporated a turquoise scarab which Mary Starr Blaisdell brought back from a trip to Egypt in this winged copper brooch. The scarab itself pivots so that the wearer can display either the top of the amulet or the hieroglyphs which appear on its underside. Ancient Egyptians held the scarab beetle sacred and associated it with rebirth and resurrection. The scarab came to be considered a manifestation of the sun-god Ra. Mary Blaisdell (1849-1934) of Chicopee, Massachusetts was a painter and sister of Hull House co-founder Ellen Gates Starr.

Date:
c. 1903
Creator:
Madeline Yale Wynne
Dimensions:
H. 1.125" x W. 2.5"