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LOT 0439
Egyptian Alabaster Miniature 'Torpedo' Flask
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 1/4 in. (62.6 grams, 57 mm).
Ovoid in profile with a pointed base, narrow opening, and hollowed interior. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a UK private collection since at least 1946.
Property of a West London, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Vandier d’Abbadie, J., Les objets de toilette égyptiens au Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1972, pp. 120-121, no. 508, for a similar vessel.
FootnotesAncient Egyptian cosmetics included volatile essential oils, animal fats, or scented plant resins. The ‘torpedo’ shape of the vessel required it to be positioned horizontally, ensuring the fluid remained in contact with the stopper or seal to prevent it from drying out or leaking.
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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Alexander Crawford Lamb (1843-1897) was a Scottish hotelier, art collector, antiquarian and collector of paintings, literary works, china, furniture, antiquities and other ephemera and memorabilia. His most notable literary achievement was the publication of a massive volume entitled Dundee: Its Quaint and Historic Buildings, 1895. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Panel with Four Sons of Horus
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Winged scarabs were often used as funerary amulets and believed to symbolise the deceased's rebirth and regeneration. The Four Sons of Horus were deities responsible for protecting the deceased's internal organs. Here, on the left, is the baboon-headed Hapy, protector of the lungs, then the human-headed Imsety, protector of the liver, followed by the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, who protected the intestines and, finally, the erect-eared jackal-headed Duamutef on the right, who protected the stomach.
