Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group

Encaustic painting on thin linen fabric, upper part of the funeral shroud with half-length representation of the deceased, representing the bust of a young man in the guise of mummiform Osiris holding implements of his divinity, black hair, wearing a gilt broad collar (maniakion) and netting, pink dress ornamented with rosettes, traces of halo in white pigment; set in a glazed frame. 4.3 kg, 58 x 63 cm including frame



Collection of the estate of Patti Cadby Birch (1923-2007), New York, USA. with Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities, 5 June 2008, sale no.8452, no.105. European private collection, acquired thereafter. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00014603. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12612-234638. 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.

Fayum portraits, painted on wood or linen, applied to the mummies of the Graeco-Roman period, are one of the most wonderful legacies that the koiné of the Graeco-Roman world has left us. Due to the favourable climate enhancing the state of preservation, these encaustic paintings have left us an almost photographic testimony of the faces of the inhabitants of Roman Egypt. The realistic portrait shows here the idea of the deceased as Osiris. This idea, already existing in the Ptolemaic Period regardless of the gender of the person represented, continued to exist in the Graeco-Roman period. The deceased is undoubtedly a young man, beardless, with black and slightly frizzy hair. A similar male portrait with the same type of clothing, the attributes: nimbus and the identifying elements of Osiris can be found in a portrait now in Paris (Parlasca, 2003, no.771, pl.172,3). Patti Cadby Birch (1923-2007) was a prominent American philanthropist and collector, known for her significant contributions to the arts. A patron of institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, she supported numerous exhibitions and acquisitions, particularly in the fields of antiquities and Islamic art. Works from her esteemed collection have been widely exhibited and are held in several major museum collections.

Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved Apis bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to right. 4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.

The Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and later associated with Osiris and Ra. Regarded as an intermediary between the gods and humanity, the Apis bull was chosen based on specific physical characteristics, such as a black coat with unique white markings. Once identified, it was housed in a grand temple in Memphis, where it was treated with great reverence, adorned with jewellery, and participated in important religious ceremonies. Upon its death, the bull underwent elaborate mummification and burial rituals, symbolising its transition to the afterlife and its continued divine role. The cult of the Apis bull highlights the Egyptians’ deep connection to animals as symbols of divine power and their belief in the interconnectedness of the mortal and spiritual worlds.

Comprising: a fragment of a segmentum in linen and red, brown, yellow and blue wool, S torsion, embroidered with a series of heads alternating with a flying putto holding a melograne; a fragment of another segmentum in linen and red, brown, yellow and blue wool, S torsion, embroidered with vegetal patterns, borders decorated with meanders; a fragment of a segmentum in linen and red, brown, white, yellow and blue wool, S torsion, embroidered with floral buds; a small fragment of a tablion with geometric decoration, purple wool on linen. 44 grams total including package, 4.3-20.5 cm



Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.

Some of these pieces are fragments from a tunic decoration, usually belonging to bands on red background, decorated with a series of motifs related to the Dionysian cult: usually these depict cherubs, fish, heads, palmettes, vegetal and floral ornaments, as well as figures of dancing puttoes within the orbiculi. The decorative motifs on these tunics were usually arranged vertically and horizontally.