Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Bracelet

Comprising mainly tubular and annular beads in blue, cream, green and turquoise colours. 11 grams total, 2-13 mm



Ex early 20th century collection, London, UK.

Bearing a portion of Chapter 17, a spell written in late hieratic script executed in black ink on woven linen, consistent with funerary bandages of the Graeco-Roman period; the inscription identifies the owner as a woman named Ta-sherit-n-ta-ihet, with her mother named Iset-(m-)khebit; as is typical for funerary manuscripts of this period, the father’s name is not recorded. 5.08 grams, 22 cm wide



Found inside an 18th-century Bible and believed to be a souvenir acquired in the 19th century. From the private collection of a North American lady. An academically identified and unpublished fragment, offering potential for further scholarly study and publication. Accompanied by a report in progress dated 28 April 2026 by Holly Lund.

Spell 17 is among the most important and widely transmitted compositions in the Book of the Dead, concerned with cosmology, divine knowledge, and the transformation of the deceased in the afterlife. Even in fragmentary form, such texts provide valuable insight into funerary belief and scribal practice during the later phases of ancient Egyptian religion. This description was prepared using information provided by Dr Ann-Katrin Gill, Academic Assistant at the Egyptological Institute, University of Leipzig, and a separate assessment by Steve Vinson, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University, Bloomington. The linen fragment may derive from a nineteenth-century mummy unwrapping, a practise widely attested in this period.

Ovoid in profile with a pointed base, narrow opening, and hollowed interior. 62.6 grams, 57 mm



From a UK private collection since at least 1946. Property of a West London, UK, gentleman.

Ancient Egyptian cosmetics included volatile essential oils, animal fats, or scented plant resins. The ‘torpedo’ shape of the vessel required it to be positioned horizontally, ensuring the fluid remained in contact with the stopper or seal to prevent it from drying out or leaking.