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LOT 0489
Egyptian Faience Beaded Mummy Mask with Sons of Horus
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
10 1/4 in. (72 grams, 26 cm).
Restrung netted beadwork panel of annular and tubular glazed composition beads in blues, greens, black, cream and red-brown colours, depicting a mummy face-mask with false beard, a scarab with extended wings below, the 'Four Sons of Horus’ beneath the scarab, joined together with areas of open netting of tubular beads; restrung with some later beads.
ProvenanceEx Mariaud de Serres, Paris, France, 1990s.
From a London, UK, collection.
Cf. Manley, B., and Dodson, A., Life Everlasting. National Museum of Scotland Collection of Ancient Egyptian Coffins, Edinburgh, 2010, p.114, no.43, for a bead-work shroud incorporating the mask, winged scarab, and Four Sons of Horus.
FootnotesThe Four Sons of Horus were deities responsible for protecting the internal organs of the deceased. Here, on the left, we can see the jackal-headed Duamutef, who protected the stomach, followed by the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, protector of the intestines, then the human-headed Imsety, who protected the liver and, finally, the baboon-headed Hapy, protected the lungs, on the right.
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 Multi-Stranded Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-525 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Multi-stranded restrung composition necklace composed of beads of mainly annular and tubular types. 27 grams, 66 cm
Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F. A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014.
For thousands of years, artisans in Egypt created vibrant ceramics to echo the beauty of rare jewels. These ornaments were created with almost every material, colour, and texture imaginable and they come from across Egypt and beyond: vibrant blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, glossy black obsidian from Turkey, and aqua-green turquoise from the Sinai. They were worn in life and, after death, they served as precious ornamentation for mummies. -
Phoenician Bronze Figure
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Modelled in the round with tall conical cap, pinched face, flat discoid upper body and single-piece legs, ovoid foot; lightly punched eyes, navel and nipples, horseshoe punch-detailing to edges; mounted on a display stand. 56 grams total, 10.3 cm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
This figurine bears a resemblance to other simply crafted figurines found in temple deposits at Byblos and other Phoenician sites. The tall conical cap seen on many of these figurines is reminiscent of the hedjet Egyptian crown, underscoring the robust cultural and commercial ties between the Levant and Egypt. -
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £222
With small everted rim, the body of oval shape with two ear-shaped vestigial handles; rim chipped and base partly absent. 174 grams, 87 mm high
Mary Stout Shaw (1880-1962); thence by direct descent to the present owner. Accompanied by a copy of a 1976 family photo featuring some of the collection on display.
Mary Kilgour Stone was born in 1880 in Cincinnati, Ohio. On 25 November 1903, she married Percy Wyfold Stout from Gloucester (DSO, OBE, 1875-1937), who had moved to Cairo after an international rugby career. After fighting in the First World War, Percy became the Director of the Egyptian Delta Land Company and the Anglo-American Nile Tourist Company. He and Mary were friends with the famous Major Gayer-Anderson, who worked as a doctor on the company’s cruise boats between 1930 and 1939. Gayer-Anderson tells in his memoir how this allowed him to make frequent trips to Upper Egypt and fulfil his passion for collecting (and dealing in) ancient Egyptian art. In his company, Mary became an enthusiast about all things Egypt and formed an elegant collection of ancient Egyptian alabaster vessels, including the following lots. She was particularly fascinated with the ancient cat goddess Bastet. Therefore, when Gayer-Anderson decided to give his famous ancient bronze cat to the British Museum in 1939, he made sure the donation was in both his name and Mary Stout Shaw’s, as a tribute to their friendship.
