Amuletic model of a stonemason's plummet. 2.38 grams, 25 mm

with Hotel des Ventes, Drouot, Paris, France.
From the collection of Mr H. Naudy, Paris, France.
Acquired at between 2004-2010.
Property of a French collector.

Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p. 85, pl.87a, for a similar haematite example.

The stonemason’s plumb bob amulet was most frequently made of a dark hardstone like this example and paired with a set-square amulet. Plummet amulets were thought to grant their owner everlasting balance and harmony.

A netted beadwork composed of red and blue tubular beads; restrung with a modern clasp. 7.93 grams, 40 cm

Ex John Moor galley, 1990s.
From the H.W. collection, UK.

Accompanied by a previous cataloguing card.

A beadwork panel of small glazed composition beads in various colours representing a mummy face mask, with false beard with netted border; restrung with some later beads. 30.8 grams, 12 cm

Mariaud de Serres, Paris, 1990s.

Cf. Bienkowski, P., Tooley, A., Gifts of The Nile: Ancient Egyptian Arts and Crafts in Liverpool Museum, Liverpool, 1995, p.68 and pl.103, for an example still attached to a mummy.

Shaped as a shallow circular dish. 252 grams, 11.1 cm

Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995.
with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003.
Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.

Cf. Friedman, F.D., Borromeo, G., Leveque, M. (eds.), Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience, London, 1998, p.151 and p.239, for a similar dish in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. E14188).

Faience food and dish simulacra replaced the wooden food preparation models of the earlier Middle Kingdom.

Their bases decorated with hieroglyphs and figures, including one with the motto 'Amun lord of the Two Lands', another with the motto 'lord Ramesses beloved of Amun', and one with a detailed representation of a Nile tilapia fish. 8.68 grams total, 7-21 mm

From an early 20th century collection.

Isis enthroned wearing a cow's horn headdress with a solar disc, suckling the infant Horus on her lap; loop to rear of crown; mounted on a custom-made stand. 6.2 grams, 39 mm (20.7 grams total, 62 mm including stand)

Ex Mythes & Legend.
Ex Cohen collection 2011.
Property of a French collector.

Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 18(a).

In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with aspects of fertility and motherhood and is often depicted in various artworks seated in a nursing pose with her son Horus on her lap, as here.

Each is a tapering bulb shape with a flat-cut mouth. 13.8 grams total, 35-37 mm

From the collection of Mr S.M., London, UK, formed from 1979-1999.

Seated figure of a cat with deeply set eyes and pointed ears set on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 0.33 grams, 8 mm

From an early 20th century collection.

The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets provided the wearer with the goddess's protection.

A group of thirteen scarabs with anatomical detailing to the carapace, comprising: 1) two kneeling hawk-headed figures with arms raised praise flank a central Hathoric fetish; 2) two facing falcons adorned with Red Crowns flanked by hieroglyphs, including netjer,hes-jars, and maat feathers; 3) standing human figure holding a staff atop a neb hieroglyph facing a highly stylised crocodile; 4) falcon atop a neb hieroglyph facing a striking cobra with another above; 5) the Re-Horakhty falcon standing before a hes-jar, with cartouche behind containing hieroglyphs and a verticalneb hieroglyph on the left; 6) central motif of a bird atop a neb hieroglyph with a rectangular sign above, a was- sceptre behind, flanked by stylised cobras; 7) falcon wearing the Red Crown atop a shrine with a winged sun disc above, flanked by cobras and Red Crowns; 8) central design consisting of hes-jars, a sun disc, a nub symbol (for gold), nefer signs, a kheper scarab beetle, and lotus flowers, all flanked by a border of en and ro signs; 9) central column of hes-jars, a sun disc, a kha rising sun hieroglyph, and scarab beetle, flanked by lions’ foreparts, Red Crowns, neb and hes-jar signs; 10) standing figure atop a neb hieroglyph holding a flower/branch; 11) hieroglyphs writing ‘Amun beloved of the living Ramesses’; 12) stylised bird with men hieroglyph behind; 13) scarab beetle with sun disc above. 27.1 grams total, 11-20 mm

Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.

Cf. Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.106, no.13, for a scarab with a similar arrangement for scarab 1; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.50, no.1, for a scarab with similar longitudinally arranged design to scarab 2; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.99, no.19, for a close parallel to scarab 3; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.98, no.10, for a similar design to scarab 4; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.85, nos.13 and 27, for scarabs with vertical arrangements of a falcon before a cartouche; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.71, no.4, for a scarab with a similar motif to scarab 7; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.84, no.14, for a similar scarab border to scarab 8; Keel, O., Corpus der Stempelsiegel-Amulette ausPalästina/Israel: Von den Anfängen bis zurPerserzeit: Katalog Band III: Von Tell el-Farʿa Nord bis Tell el-Fir, Zurich, 2010, p.23, no.47, for a similar format of design to scarab 9; Keel, O., Corpus der Stempelsiegel-Amulette ausPalästina/Israel: Von den Anfängen bis zurPerserzeit: Katalog Band IV: Von Tel Gamma bis ChirbetHusche, Zurich, 2013, p.81, nos.183-185, for seal impressions produced by similar scarabs to scarab 10; Keel, O., Corpus der Stempelsiegel-Amulette ausPalästina/Israel: Von den Anfängen bis zurPerserzeit: Katalog Band IV: Von Tel Gamma bis ChirbetHusche, Zurich, 2013, p.349, no.418, for a seal with a similar motto to scarab 11; Keel, O., Corpus der Stempelsiegel-Amulette ausPalästina/Israel: Von den Anfängen bis zurPerserzeit: Katalog Band II: Von Bahan bis Tel Eton, Zurich, 2010, p.109, no.28, for a similar design to scarab 12; Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Zurich, 2007, pl.51, no. 61, for a scarab with a similar design to scarab 13.

The popularity of the scarab was so great that many of these scarab designs can be found outside Egypt at sites in the ancient Levant.

A finely detailed head of the goddess Hathor with a human face, divine beard, and cow ears, with a ribbed suspension loop on top. 0.68 grams, 11 mm

From an early 20th century collection.

Turquoise glazed faience figure of a trussed ibex, with the remains of its large curled horn, tail, facial details, and rope tie picked out in black; damaged and repaired. 11.6 grams, 63 mm

From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.

Cf. The Drambuie Collection, Edinburgh (1850), for a comparable example from a foundation deposit; Vandier d’Abbadie, J., Les objets de toilette égyptiens au Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1972, p.31 nos. 69, 71-72, for examples of similar trussed ibex form cosmetic dishes.

Figurines of trussed ibexes in faience were occasionally included in foundation deposits, possibly to represent animals that were sacrificed. However, the shallow depression in the body of this animal is similar to the style of cosmetic dishes, indicating that this particular example may be a funerary object symbolising a more valuable toiletry item.

Fashioned as a seated bird with partly outspread wings. 4.15 grams, 15 mm

From a London, UK, based collection, 1990s.