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LOT 0555
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (11 grams total including package, 71 mm).
An orbiculus in yellow, green and red wool and coarse linen, on brown linen background, S torsion, embroidered with a stylised hare within a green circle. [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 no.4, for a similar figure.
FootnotesIn early Christian iconography, the hare was a symbol representing primarily the Church hiding in Christ (the ‘rock’ of Psalm 103:18) from a sinful world. This interpretation drew from the Old Testament's description of the hare as a weak creature that makes its lair in the rock, signifying the Church's reliance on Christ for safety. It was also linked to resurrection and fertility.
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:
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Egyptian Blue Glazed Amulet Collection
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Including a glazed composition plaque formed from four conjoined wedjat motifs, a pendant with pierced-work wedjat-eye, and a pendant with a double uraei motif. 14 grams total, 17.2-32 mm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016. -
Large Egyptian Faience Eye of Horus Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Wedjat amuletic bead with applied black detailing to the pupil and brow. 16.5 grams, 50.4 mm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Temple of Philae
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 6 from Description de l'egypte entitled Île de Philae. Coupe et élévation de la galerie de l'est. Élévations des deux colonnades et de l'édifice du sud. Élévation du premier pylône. 252 grams, 104 x 68.5 cm
From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The Philae temple complex was one of the major monuments dismantled from its original location and relocated to a new site during the Aswan High Dam project. Most of the complex dates to the Ptolemaic Period, although some earlier and later elements remain.
