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LOT 0543
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
2 3/8 - 6 1/8 in. (20 grams total including package, 6.1-15.6 cm).
Comprising a fragment of a clavus in white and purple linen and wool, S torsion, borders embroidered with pilasters, the central scene representing eagles alternating with geometric elements; a small fragment of another clavus, ornamented with running lions and fishes, borders with geometric patterns; a third fragment of a clavus, ornamented with vegetal patterns. [5, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Del Francia Barocas, L., Museo dell'Alto Medioevo, Roma, I materiali Copti, pp.162-163, for similar textiles.
FootnotesThe clavi are realised in tapestry technique, and the one with prominent figures has a rounded end. They were part of a tunic decoration and the presence of the Imperial eagle, not a common pattern, could refer to a military tunic.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Hardstone Scarab
26th-30th Dynasty, 664-343 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Carved in the half-round with detailed mouth, legs and carapace. 70.2 grams, 49 mm
with Galerie Gunter Phuze, Kunst der Antike, Freiburg, 2000, no.352. Ex George Broomis. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12936-245209.
Scarabs were among the most popular amulets of ancient Egypt. Modelled on the dung beetle, they symbolised rebirth, transformation, and the daily journey of the sun god across the sky. From the Middle Kingdom onwards, they were widely used as personal seals, jewellery, and offerings in tombs. The flat underside was often carved with names, prayers, or symbols, while the beetle form on top carried protective power. Scarabs were believed to safeguard the wearer in life and assist the dead in the afterlife, making them both practical objects and deeply spiritual charms. -
Phoenician Amethyst Scarab with Horse’s Head and Later Aramaic Inscription
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Scaraboid in form with transverse piercing, four later engraved Aramaic characters engraved to the flat face above a horse-head motif; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 1.59 grams, 13 mm
From the private collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK, 1969-1999; thence by descent. Accompanied by a copy of a previous cataloguing slip. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising a fragment of a clavus in white and purple linen and wool, S torsion, the central scene representing a dancer; a small fragment of a double segmenta, ornamented with vegetal embroidery; two orbiculi, one embroidered with a flower inside a rondo and with a cross in the centre, the other with a simple vegetal ornament. 40 grams total including package, 7.2-15.7 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The segmentum with the dancer was probably part of the vertical clavus of a tunic; it is highly probable that the embroidery refers to the Dionysian cycle, with dancers, animals and probably, in the missing parts, hunters.
