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LOT 0549
Egyptian Faience Amulet Representing Nephthys
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
2 1/4 in. (4.15 grams, 55 mm).
Modelled in the round on a small base, wearing columnar headdress, with dorsal pillar pierced behind the elbows.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s.
Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, British Museum 1994, p.48.
FootnotesNephthys was a protective goddess linked to mourning, magic, and the afterlife. As the sister of Isis, she played a vital role in the funerary rites of Osiris. Amulets like this were placed on the deceased to invoke her protection and aid in rebirth. Typically made of faience or semi-precious stone, they were especially common in the Late Period.
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
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Phoenician Alabaster Spindle Whorl
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Plano-convex in section with stepped profile to dome and underside. 16.52 grams, 32 mm
Found in Lebanon before 1980. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Faience Amulet Representing Sobek
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
On a rectangular base, Sobek standing in crocodile form with human arms resting on an ankh symbol. 9.82 grams, 54 mm
Private collection, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s. Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Limestone Bas-Relief Panel of Ptah Presiding Over the Smelting of Metals
Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, 2498-2345 B.C.Estimate: £80,000 - 100,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40,000
This expertly carved high-relief scene depicts three male figures with short hairstyles, each wearing a short kilt tied at the waist; the left and central figures carry a small furnace by curved handles, preparing to smelt copper; the central figure also holds a metal poker in his free hand; the figure on the left supports a large container at chest level with one hand; finely rendered hieroglyphic inscriptions in front of each figure record a dialogue among the three metalworkers; the leftmost figure, facing the others, declares “Ptah could not have done better”; the central figure responds with three lines of text “Ptah loves him to pour (into) the brazier of the flame”; the inscription before the rightmost figure reads “copper of the baskets”; together, the second and third texts may be interpreted as “Ptah would love him to pour copper from the baskets into the furnace”; the composition likely formed part of a larger scene illustrating metalworking activities; supplied with a custom-made stand. 21.35 kg total, 53.5 cm wide including stand
with Toufic Arakji, Hamburg, by circa 1980. Private collection, acquired from the above, circa 1980-1994. with Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities and Islamic Art, 8 June 1994, no.23. Private collection, 1994-2010, acquired at the above sale. with David Aaron, London, UK, 2010-2011. with Daniel Katz Gallery, London, UK. UK private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Sylvie Caroff. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00142449. 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.
The mention of Ptah – patron god of craftsmen – links this piece to Memphis, suggesting it came from the tomb of a high-ranking official or priest.
