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LOT 0541
Egyptian Faience Beaded Mummy Mask
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
4 3/4 in. (29.7 grams, 12 cm wide).
A restrung beadwork panel of small glazed composition beads in various colours representing a mummy face mask with false beard.
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market before 2000.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Quibell, J.E. and Hayter, A.G.K., Excavations at Saqqara: Teti Pyramid, North Side, Cairo, 1927, pl. 6, no. 4, for an example on a mummy excavated at Saqqara.
FootnotesBead masks like this were attached to the outside of a mummy's wrappings and often formed part of an elaborate beaded feature covering the entire body.
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 Faience Amulet Group
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Comprising: two amulets of Isis suckling infant Horus; Horus in falcon form; a papyrus column; a djed pillar; two amulets of Thoth depicted as an ibis-headed man; a circular plaque with head of Bes, and others. 29 grams total, 16-52 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising: a fragment of a clavus in coarse linen and dark brown wool, tapestry, with remains of a medallion embroidered with a lion running right; fragment of an orbiculus in linen and yellow and blue wool, S torsion, embroidered with vegetal and geometric patterns; two terminal fragments of a clavi, in red, green, dark blue and white wool. 58 grams total including package, 8.6-19.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
These are decorative parts of tunics. The lion orbiculus in particular stands out for its delicate design and hunting theme. Dionysus and his entourage were often depicted on these tunics, despite the fact that these fabrics were produced in a by then heavily Christianised empire. -
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Egyptian Limestone Relief with Pharaoh Making Offerings
Ptolemaic-Roman Period, circa 332 B.C.-300 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Rectangular relief showing the pharaoh wearing the pschent crown of Upper and Lower Egypt and presenting the hieroglyphic sign of a field (sḫt) in his outstretched palms towards the now barely discernible figure of a standing deity holding a long sceptre; an empty cartouche above and a column of worn hieroglyphic text below; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 18.4 kg total, 45.5 cm including stand
Acquired 1970s-1996. Private collection, Switzerland. with a North American collector. London collection, 2016. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12943-244661.
Scenes showing the pharaoh offering various items, including fields, to one or more deities are found in temples across Egypt. The empty cartouche is a feature most often seen in inscriptions from Ptolemaic and Roman-period temples, reflecting uncertainty over the holder of power in the country.
