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LOT 0402
Egyptian Black Hardstone Scarab
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 1/8 in. (17 grams, 29 mm).
Dark green hardstone with paler speckles; with a boldly carved head, clypeus, prothorax and elytra, and legs indicated at the sides; plain underside.
ProvenanceEx Irene Newman, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex, England.
with Stride & Son Auctioneers, Chichester, West Sussex, England, 23 April 2015, no.1599 [Part].
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Cf. Schulz, R., Seidel, M., Egyptian Art. The Walters Art Museum, Oakville, 2007, pl.18, cat. no. 126, for a similar example.
FootnotesThe scarab, which represented the dung beetle, was the most popular amulet in ancient Egypt for approximately two thousand years until the Ptolemaic Period when it gradually fell out of favour. The popularity of scarabs extended beyond the borders of Egypt, and they were also distributed and produced in other regions, such as Phoenicia and Israel. The beetle is named khepri, derived from the verb 'to come into existence', and was considered the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, who was self-engendered. The ancient Egyptians mistakenly believed that the young beetle emerging from the dung ball was the result of an act of self-creation.
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LOT 0402
Egyptian Black Hardstone Scarab
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Faience Shabti for Nes-Khonsu
Third Intermediate Period, 21st-22nd Dynasty, circa 1085-713 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
A pale blue-green faience mummiform shabti, with arms crossed and holding a hoe in each hand, wearing a tripartite wig with a headband with ties hanging down at the back; a seed bag suspended below the wig; the outline of the eyes, eyebrows, hoes, and seed bag painted black; a central column of hieroglyphs on the front reading: wsı͗r šmꜤyt n ı͗mn ns-ḫns.w ‘The Osiris, chantress of Amun, Nes-Khonsu.’ 166 grams, 12.2 cm
Ex German private collection. Acquired from Galerie BB-Antiken & Asiatika with stock reference no.366/08. From the private collection of a Belgian collector. Ex TimesAncient, Bristol, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the Galerie BB-Antiken & Asiatika certificate dated 1 December 2008. Accompanied by a copy of a previous catalogue entry. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Nes-Khnosu (and the variant Nesy-Khonsu) were common names during the Third Intermediate Period. However, the combination of the name and title in the dedication on this shabti is less common. It is possible that this shabti comes from tomb 339 at Deir el-Medineh in Western Thebes. The tomb was discovered by Bernard Bruyère in 1929 (Rapports préliminaires Deir el Médineh, Cairo, 1930, p. 89, 92), from where blue faience shabtis bearing the same dedication were recovered. Traditionally, chantresses were female performers who acted as dancers and rhythmic musicians. Like Nes-Khnosu, many were associated with temples and played significant roles in religious festivals. -
Egyptian Applique with Aphrodite
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Estimate: £700 - 900 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £315
Fragment from a representation of the nude Aphrodite in high-relief, crouching with her left knee raised and her right knee touching the ground, holding her long hair with her hands and wearing a diadem on her head; an appliqué from a vessel with minor filling at the right thigh. 85 grams, 86 mm
Private collection, Somerset, England. with M.B., Los Angeles County, acquired 2014-2015 at a sale in the UK. with Ancient Resource, USA, Auction 70, 06 October 2018, no.7. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Egypto-Phoenician Lapis Lazuli Scarab with Cartouche for Thutmose III
Late 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
With carapace detailing to obverse, plaque with intaglio cartouche for the throne name of Thutmose III men-kheper-Re, winged scarab at one end and a central floral motif flanked by cornucopia at the other end. 7.4 grams, 25 mm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12127-211877. 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.
