Loading, please wait...
LOT 0493
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY A.D.
7 5/8 - 9 3/4 in. (63 grams total including package, 19.5-25 cm).
Comprising: fragment from a wide tunic segmentum in red granate and coarse linen, S torsion, embroidered with stylised birds and plants inscribed in tondos; fragment of another segmentum in red, blue and green wool, with representations of buds. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Forrer, R., Die Graeber und Textilfunde von Achmim Panopolis, Strassburg, 1891, pl.VII nos.8 and 13, for similar figures of birds and plants.
FootnotesSimilar figures are widely present in Coptic textiles, repeating a pattern in which flowers are usually paired with bird figures. This decoration is typical of tunics, but it was also used in large-scale textiles intended for domestic or funerary furnishings.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
.jpg)
Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
The head of goddess Bastet modelled in the round with alert ears and eyes, ears pierced; hollow-formed. 40.4 grams, 33.6 mm high
Acquired in the mid 1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
The feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. It was probably attached to a statuette of a cat, whose body may have been crafted from wood. The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets provided the wearer with the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was typically shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of her offspring. -
.jpg)
Egyptian Alabaster Mirror Handle
New Kingdom, 18th-20th Dynasty, 1550-1070 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
In the form of a papyrus column, the upper platform pierced through for insertion of a bronze mirror, incised with lotus petals at the top of the shaft and at the base; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 482 grams total, 14.5 cm including stand
with Nicholas Wright, London, UK, 1969. Christie's, London, 14 April 2011, no.128. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12941-243535.
The papyrus stalk was used in the hieroglyphic script for the word 'wadj', meaning 'fresh', making it an appropriate talisman for the preservation of the body. -
.jpg)
Egyptian 'Becker' Serpentine Vessel
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, circa 1450 B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,600
Piriform jar with wide, flat rim and short neck, narrow neck and flat base. 1.2 kg, 15.5 cm
Ex Becker collection, 1920s. Private collection, Los Angeles, USA, 1990s. Private European collection. 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.12576-232111.
