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LOT 0507
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 0507
Egyptian Black Hardstone Scarab
Estimate £350 - 450€410 - 520 (for guidance only)$470 - 610 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Black Stone Cylinder Seal Inscribed with Hieroglyphs for the Name Deneh
Circa 2900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,470
With hieroglyphic inscription, restrung pair of red stone beads, old handwritten label '1633'; accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of Soft Black Stone, 15 x 13.5 mm. Between upper and lower rules five Egyptian hieroglyphs are engraved skillfully. The bird is 'akh', "soul", the following house, hand and wavey line, are probably a personal name Deneh or Dehen, and the remaining sign consisting of three trees or plants may be a title. This is an old Egyptian cylinder seal from the Second Dynasty, c. 2900 B.C., and the inscriptions are still in the process of being deciphered. The occurrence of "soul" suggests mortuary use, but the Egyptians made preparations for such things during life, so the owner may well have had this object during his life. It is in fine state of preservation.'; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. 6.5 grams, 14 mm
UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in 1992. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cylinder seals are typically engraved, cylindrical stone objects designed to be rolled over clay, leaving impressions of images and often text carved in reverse. In Egypt, they appeared early in the historical record, likely due to Mesopotamian influence, with the more familiar button and stamp seals becoming prevalent later, particularly during the First Intermediate Period. -
Egyptian Faience Amulet Representing Thoth
664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Comprising a rectangular base and dorsal pillar pierced behind the shoulders, the god with ibis head, tripartite wig, knee-length kilt. 2.33 grams, 37 mm
Private collection, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s. Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Large Egyptian Faience Figure of Sekhmet
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
Modelled in the round standing, holding an ankh in her right hand, the other holding a slender staff, lion-headed, wearing an ankle-length skirt; loop behind her neck. 79 grams, 14 cm
Acquired in the late 1980s. Private collection, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12852-241726. 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.
