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LOT 0029
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.
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, and were extensively employed from late antiquity in ecclesiastical contexts.
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LOT 0029
Coptic Marble Liturgical Vessel Fragment with Inscription
Estimate £1,200 - 1,700€1,390 - 1,970 (for guidance only)$1,620 - 2,300 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£667 (EUR 773; USD 900) ‡+BP*
-
Egyptian Faience Eye of Horus in Gold Pendant
Late Period, 664-332 B.C. and laterEstimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Comprising a turquoise-glazed wedjat amulet set in a 14-carat gold pendant mount. 1.09 grams, 14 mm
Ex important German collection, 1960-1990.
The wedjat-eye amulet (also called the Eye of Horus) became one of the most recognisable symbols in ancient Egyptian culture. It signifies protection, healing, and restoration. In myth, Horus lost his eye during his battle with Seth, and it was later magically restored, symbolising healing and the return to wholeness. The Eye of Horus came to embody divine power and protection, and was often used in amulets to safeguard and promote well-being. -
Egyptian Mixed Loose Faience Bead Group
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising mainly tubular and annular beads in blue, cream, green and turquoise colours. 11 grams total, 2-13 mm
Ex early 20th century collection, London, UK. -
Egyptian Black Stone Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £15
With linear detailing to the carapace, the underside with a drilled image of two figures holding hands on a baseline; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 2 grams, 13 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.