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LOT 0421
Egyptian Faience and Glass Amulet Collection
NEW KINGDOM-LATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1550-332 B.C.
3/8 - 1 1/2 in. (9.11 grams total, 9.53-36.46 mm).
Comprising eleven amulets, including two baubo amulets, a dancing Bes, a tilapia fish, a bunch of grapes, a crowned djed pillar, two lion amulets, and others. [11, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Reisner, G.A., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire, Nos.12528-13595, Vol. II, Amulets, Cairo, 1958, pl. XXIX (no. 13303), for a comparable crowned djed pillar; Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, 65j, for a bunch of grape amulet.
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 Green Glazed Somtous Seated on Lotus Flower
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Modelled in the round, the nude seated figure of the child Somtous, with one hand to his lips and a prominent sidelock, emerging from a lotus flower; mounted on a custom-made stand. 39.76 grams total, 68 mm high including stand
Noriuchi Horiuchi, Tokyo, Japan, 1993. Private collection, London, UK.
The earliest attestations of the cult of Somtous, known as Sematawy in ancient Egyptian, date back to the New Kingdom, although it became particularly popular during the Late Period. Associated with Horus (Horsomtous), the symbol of the child emerging from the lotus represented the (re)birth of the sun god. Thus, Somtous was regarded as a life-giving amuletic symbol, sometimes even referred to as 'Sematawy the child who gives life.' -
Egyptian Faience Shabti Collection
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Comprising mainly D-section types with moulded facial detailing some with vertical band of hieroglyphs to the lower body. 11.1 grams total, 67-72 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Phoenician Glass Bead Collection
6th-3rd century B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £910
Comprising a group of crumb-decorated polychrome oblate beads and a centrepiece pendant formed as a stylised bearded head. 179 grams total, 12-42 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
The Phoenicians, renowned seafarers and traders, were also skilled glassworkers. They produced a wide variety of glass beads using core-forming and winding techniques, with vivid colours and elaborate designs that reflect both technical mastery and cross-cultural influence. Among the most iconic Phoenician beads are glass 'head' beads, crafted in the form of stylised human or mythological faces. Typically, they feature exaggerated facial details like bulging eyes, large noses, beards, and headdresses, often with expressive or comic features. They were possibly worn as amulets to ward off evil or attract protection, though they may also represent deities, ancestors, or foreigners. These beads often incorporate Egyptian, Greek, and Near Eastern stylistic elements, reflecting the Phoenicians’ extensive trade networks.
