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_900x900.jpg "Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription")
_200x200.jpg "Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription")
_900x900.jpg "Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription")
_200x200.jpg "Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription")
.jpg "Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription")
.jpg "Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription")
LOT 0026
Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription
6TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (87 grams, 55 mm).
Tongue-shaped with low rounded pad on the underside, raised edge with low-relief decoration of grape vines and leaves, the edge with pairs of opposing doves eating grapes; dedicatory Demotic inscription on the underside.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12575-232108.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Atalla, N.S., Coptic Art, Sculptures, Architecture, L'Art Copte, II, Cairo, 1989, figs. pp.109ff., for similar carved interlaces; Rutschowscaya, M.H., Benazeth, D., L’Art Copte en Égypte, 2000 ans de Christianisme, Paris, 2000, figs.109-118; Poupaki, E., ‘Early Byzantine Marble Vases from Kos Island, Dodecanese, Greece’ in Diamanti, C., Vassiliou A. (eds.), Eν Σοφίᾳ μαθητεύσαντες, Essays in Byzantine Material Culture and Society in Honour of Sophia Kalopissi-Verti, Oxford, 2019, figs.2-3, for a possible parallel.
FootnotesThese vessels were used as liturgical objects for church offerings or ritual cult and were extensively employed from late antiquity in ecclesiastical contexts.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0026
Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription
Estimate £1,800 - 2,400€2,090 - 2,780 (for guidance only)$2,430 - 3,240 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Pink Quartz Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Carved with deep sides and carapace detailing to the upper face, pierced. 19.82 grams, 33 mm
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Glazed Steatite Amulet of Bastet
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
Modelled in advancing pose wearing a tight-fitting robe, cat-headed, with a sistrum in one hand and a Bes head emblem in the other; suspension loop between shoulders. 3.75 grams, 38 mm
François de Ricqlès, Paris, Archéologie, 30 September-1 October 1996, no.332. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport, dated 2 October 1996. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Bastet is typically depicted with the head of a lioness or domestic cat. The cat symbolises protection, motherhood, and, later, gentleness and domesticity, qualities associated with Bastet, especially in her later evolution from a fierce lioness to a more benevolent feline goddess. The sistrum she holds is a ritual musical instrument associated with Hathor and other birth goddesses and is linked to joy, music, and divine protection. Bastet was often invoked during music and dance ceremonies, and the sistrum reinforces her role in celebration and protection. Bes was a dwarf god known for guarding households, particularly mothers and children. His image on Bastet’s amulet emphasises her protective role, especially at home and during childbirth. -
Egyptian Stone and Faience Amulet Group
Late Period-Roman Period, circa 664 B.C.-100 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Comprising: a seated figure of Isis suckling infant Horus on her lap, the goddess crowned with large cow horns flanking a solar disc, pierced behind the head; a mummiform Osiris-Canopus amulet wearing a nemes headdress and plain dorsal pillar, a winged scarab with solar disc above at the base of the figure; a kneeling Shu amulet, his arms raised above his head holding a large solar disc, pierced through the dorsal pillar. 6.47 grams total, 18-25 mm
Ex Prof. Dr Emil Vogt (1906-1974), The Former Director of the Swiss National Museum, Zürich, in his collection before 1970. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
