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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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Phoenician Bronze Seal Pendant
Late 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Formed as a ribbed lop with short neck, ellipsoid plaque with incuse saltire and pellets. 16.35 grams, 27 mm wide
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Egyptian Blue Faience Cup
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Conical in profile with a wide base and a shallow, hollow interior. 56.8 grams, 56 mm
Private collection, USA and Switzerland, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent. -
Egyptian Steatite Portrait of a Ptolemaic Prince
2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
With a round face, large eyes, a narrow nose that broadens at the end, and full lips downturned at the corners; the forehead with a distinctive deep furrow above the brow; a narrow, twisted diadem encircling his wavy hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 84 grams total, 10 cm including stand
Private collection, Bern, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12631-236408.
The Greek hairstyle is a characteristic feature of Ptolemaic royal portraiture, as is the twisted diadem - a Greek interpretation of the Egyptian headband (the sšd) - which appears on several portrait heads of Ptolemaic boy-kings and princes. The distinctive furrow is intriguing, as it contrasts with the typically blemish-free physiognomy of most Ptolemaic royal sculpture. However, a similar furrow can be seen on the portrait head of a provincial governor from Dendera, dated to the 2nd century B.C. (Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp. 144-143, pl. 112, nos. 301-302), which may indicate an artistic trend employed in high-status sculpture at that time. It has been suggested that small royal portrait heads, such as this example, may have served as votives. The lack of an Egyptian-style back pillar on this and similar pieces supports the possibility that they were inserted into statues made of different materials (Ashton, S.-A., Ptolemaic Royal Sculpture from Egypt, BAR International Series 923, Oxford, 2001, p.12).
