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LOT 0394
Egyptian Black-Topped Vase
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD, NAQADA II, CIRCA 4000 B.C.
4 1/8 in. (391 grams, 10.5 cm).
Squat, spherical black-topped storage vase with a flattened base; old collector's ticket: 'Small predynastic Egyptian pot. Round form, flat bottom, usual black top and red body. From Naqada, c. 4000 B.C. Richardson St. Christopher's Mail(?), 27/10/61'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.
Accompanied by an old handwritten identification card written by Peter Clayton.
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Corpus of Prehistoric Pottery and Palettes, London, 1917, pl. VII, no. 69, for the type.
FootnotesThis decorative style's distinctive appearance came from an open-fire or pit-firing method in which the vessel was inverted into ash, organic matter, or smoke-heavy fuel. The buried or inverted top was starved of oxygen and turned black, while the exposed lower portion oxidised to red.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0394
Egyptian Black-Topped Vase
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Mounted Coptic Tunic Textile Fragment of a Tablion with Animals
Circa 4th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
In purple wool and coarse linen, S-torsion, embroidered with an image of a horse and a flying putto, the borders decorated with meanders; mounted on linen backing. 54 grams total, 14 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The tabula, or tablion, was a square embroidery decorating tunics and mantles. These fabrics were of great decorative finesse, displaying an unusual and extremely well-preserved colour palette. The animal design recalls Iranian motifs, while the flying putto combines Dionysiac and Christian figurative elements. -
Egyptian Banded Agate Kohl Pot
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Cone-shaped body with traces of lug handles on the upper third; narrow opening at the top with a thin, flattened rim. 94 grams, 75 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK.
This vessel's unusual triangular shape is thought to be limited to the Late Period; other comparable examples are known (e.g. Barbotin, C., Collection égyptienne: Musée Granet - Aix-en-Provence, Aix-en-Provence, 1995, p. 166, no. 97). -
Large Egyptian Painted Wooden Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure
New Kingdom, circa 12th century B.C. or laterEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Mummiform figure wearing a long lappet wig, with traces of blue and white pigment; a hole in the top of the head, likely to accept a separately fashioned headdress. 460 grams, 34.5 cm
with a privately curated collection, 1980s-early 2000s. From the private collection and estate of Christine Simons (1943-2025), West Midlands, UK.
Initially representing Osiris, this statuette type gradually merged with the Memphite deity Ptah-Sokar. It became a common grave good in the Late Period and the Graeco-Roman era. It was typically depicted standing on a long, rectangular base, wearing a tall, distinctive crown of two large, opposing feathers, with a sun disc on the lower front and ram's horns beneath. The recess in the crown of the present example was likely intended to accommodate this crown.
