Egyptian Faience Bead Bracelet

The headless deity, possibly Harpocrates, seated on a throne, forearms resting on thighs and flanking a protruding phallus, wearing a medallion around the neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 280 grams total, 97 mm including stand



The Erotica Collection Christian von Faber-Castell, Küsnacgt ZH, Switzerland, since the late 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Figural plaques of ithyphallic Harpocrates seated on a block seat with forearms on thighs and hands each side of a projecting phallus were rare types from Naukratis, Temai el-Amohel. They can be dated to the early Hellenistic Period, circa 330 B.C. Christian von Faber-Castell (born 1950) is a renowned German entrepreneur and art collector, best known as a member of the prominent Faber-Castell family, famed for their iconic writing instruments. A passionate advocate for art and culture, Christian von Faber-Castell curated an extensive and diverse private collection of erotica, spanning centuries and cultures. His collection reflects a deep appreciation for the interplay of beauty, sensuality, and artistic expression, bringing together rare and unique works that explore themes of intimacy and human connection. Pieces from this collection have been featured in notable exhibitions and are celebrated for their artistic and historical significance. This offering represents a rare opportunity to acquire works from one of the most fascinating and eclectic private collections of its kind.

Comprising: an amuletic bead consisting of a row of seven Taweret figures on a rectangular base, pierced longitudinally; a seated ibis before a diminutive figure of Maat on a tongue-shaped base; a cippus amulet composed of the figure of Pataikos standing on two crocodiles, with two hawks perched on his shoulders, a scarab on his head, flanked by the figures of Isis and Nephthys, and on the back, a winged goddess standing on the crocodiles' tails. 6.5 grams total, 16-30 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Small carved head with bobbed curly wig and and narrow hair band or diadem; surface slightly worn; mounted on a display stand. 29 grams, 35 mm (57.6 grams total, 10.4 cm)



Antoni Sikorski collection, London, formed between the 1950s and 1970s. with Chiswick Auctions, 11 May 2016, no.37 [Part]. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Although worn, the presence of the narrow diadem and curly hair suggest that the head might depict a Ptolemaic priest. For better-preserved examples of the type cf. Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp. 178-179, pls. 128 and 129, 343; Spier, J., Potts, T., and Cole, S.E. (eds.), Beyond the Nile: Egypt and the classical world, Los Angeles, 2018, p. 169 no. 101.