“Marriage Scarab” of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye Provenance not known Faience (ground quartz, alkaline binder, glaze) Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.475E In the first eleven years of his reign, Amunhotep Ill 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. Circular Dish Provenance not known Mosaic glass Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 48.162 To create mosaic glass, artisans fused slices of colored glass rods in a two-part mold and then polished the surface. Of the few examples that survive from antiquity, most come from the palace of Amunhotep III at Malkata, where the king sponsored royal workshops. The coloring on this example, which is the largest and best-preserved of its type, is probably meant to imitate red granite. Blue-Painted Vase 1Gth Marsh Scene rovenance not known olery. bainted Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 59.2 During the reign of Amunhotep III, light blue was the most popular color in the artist’s palette; it may have been the king’s favorite color. Craftsmen frequently decorated pots with cobalt blue paint. Some of the most complex examples depict marsh scenes, evoking the papyrus swamp from which the creator-god emerged at the so-called First Moment. Blue-painted ware has been found in houses, tombs, and temples. Plaque with a Name of Amunhotep III New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Amunhotep III, circa 1390-1352 B.C.E. From Egypt Faience Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 40.126.1 Senet Board Inscribed for Amunhotep Ill with Gaming Pieces New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Amunhotep III, circa 1390-1353 B.C.E. From Egypt Faience, glazed Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 49.56a-b (board). 49.57.1-.13 (pieces) The game called senet, or “passing,” was played for over three thousand years in Egypt. In it, two players rolled stick-like dice to advance their gaming pieces, which in this board were otherwise stored in a sliding drawer. The movement of pieces across the board symbolized the soul’s journey through the underworld, and the game was often included in the tomb. Personal Arts under Amunhotep II! King Amunhotep Ill supported artisans and workshops that produced extraordinary personal arts. The objects included faience, glass, and intricately designed pottery vessels and gold jewelry. Found in both domestic and funerary contexts, these luxury objects were prized by the living and often buried with their owners for use in the afterlife. The opulence of these objects reflects the splendor and extravagance of the reign of Amunhotep Ill—the self-styled “Dazzling Sun Disk of All Lands,” who initiated monumental building programs and commissioned vast amounts of sculpture -and anticipates the flamboyant style of Tutankhamun’s time (circa 1332-1322 в.с.E.). All objects in this case date to the reign of Amunhotep III (circa 1390-1352 в.с.E.) unless otherwise indicated.