Egyptian Faience Beads and Other Fragments

Including seed and tubular beads, and other items. 27 grams total, 1-10 mm



From an old English collection. Acquired from Brigantia, York, 1990s. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Depicted wearing a long sleeveless vestis talaris with a V-opening, on the head a high propoloma falling on her shoulders, ears pierced to accept earrings, right arm raised and legs bent at knees. 642 grams, 19.2 cm



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.

Baubo was a minor divinity in Greek mythology, linked to the cult of Demeter and Persephone. The statuette belongs to the second type of Baubo figurines, widespread in the last Ptolemaic and Roman period in Egypt. The Egyptian Baubos are split into two groups, and this one belongs to the first group depicting a woman seating frontally whilst holding a musical instrument or with the open hand in blessing gesture. Many of them were used as amulets or as ex-voto. 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.

Obverse with scarab carved in high-relief and wing-case recessed to accept inlays (now absent), flanked by a small female goddess wearing a tall headdress, almost certainly Nephthys, with her arms raised in supplication; column with text to her rear, covered in gold foil and perhaps to be read as 'May my name be victorious: protection..'; reverse with the upper body of a male figure facing right with both arms raised towards the remains of a recumbent Anubis on a plinth above the top of a fragmentary shield-shaped plaque with incised text beginning 'Osiris Lord of Eternity forever..'; mounted on a custom-made stand. 53 grams, 69 mm (157 grams total, 11.5 cm including stand)



Eric Pascoe (d. 2019), Calenick House, Truro, Cornwall. Lodge & Thomas, Truro, Antiques & Fine Art Two Day Auction-Including the Ron Clifford Collection of Dinky & Britain's Toys, 26-27 September 2019, no.684. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. with Bonhams, London, 8 December 2022, no.265. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

This fragment from an elaborate pectoral may exemplify an innovative design characteristic of the Ramesside Period, during which iconographic and textual elements began to diverge from the more conventional styles of earlier pectorals. For a discussion of some of these novel pectorals, refer to Whelan, P., 'An Epithet-Laden Pectoral,' Egitto e Vicino Oriente, 46 (2023), pp.7-28.