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LOT 0438
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
CIRCA 4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
2 3/8 - 2 1/2 in. (9 grams total including package, 60-64 mm).
Comprising: an orbiculus in coarse linen and brown wool, S torsion, embroidered with the image of a stylised bird, surrounded by tondos ornamented with geometric embroidery, borders meander decorated; a similar fragment of double segmenta, embroidered with hares alternated to fishes. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Institut du monde arabe, L'art copte en Égypte: 2000 ans de Christianisme : exposition présentée à l'Institut du monde arabe, Paris, du 15 mai au 3 septembre 2000, Paris, 2000, p.191, no.211, for a similar textile image on papyrus.
FootnotesThe iconography of this fragment is called "Nilotic," as it depicts plant and human elements linked to life on the Nile River. These images are very recurrent on Coptic textiles. Weavers created patterns that allowed them to reproduce these motifs on any type of fabric (curtains, tassels, clothing).
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Hieroglyphic Scarab Group
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £286
Comprising; a copper-alloy scarab with a scarab flanked by rearing uraei on the underside; a stone scarab with similar motif on the underside; a faience scarab with floral motif; a stone scarab with hieroglyphics on the underside; a stone scarab with plain underside. 17.1 grams total, 14-20 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Phoenicio-Egyptian Orange Stone Scaraboid
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £222
Ellipsoid in plan with frieze comprising a large Maat feather, a winged sun disc, and a winged Khepri beetle. 13 grams, 27 mm
Ex collection of the late Mr S. M., London, UK, 1970-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Romano-Egyptian Bronze Sistrum Fragment with Goat
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a slender U-shaped body with beaded border, the sides with four pairs of piercings to accept separate crossbars, an applied goat resting atop the body. 73.7 grams, 10.8 cm
Ex Paul Munro-Walker, Bournemouth, Hampshire, UK, 1980s. From a UK collection since before 1990.
When the sistrum was shaken, copper or bronze discs on its crossbars would rattle against each other, creating a clashing sound. The ancient Egyptian name for the sistrum, sesheshet, is onomatopoeic and mimics this sound.
