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LOT 0476
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Mask with Netting
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
5 3/4 in. (52.7 grams, 14.5 cm wide).
A 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; restrung with some later beads.
ProvenanceEx Mariaud de Serres, Paris, France, 1980-1990s.
From a London, UK, collection.
Cf. Bienkowski, P., Tooley, A., Gifts of The Nile: Ancient Egyptian Arts and Crafts in Liverpool Museum, Liverpool, 1995, p.68 and pl.103, for an example still attached to a mummy.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Faience Bead and Amulet Group
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising mainly blue and green tubular beads with some annular beads and fragmentary amulets, including the head of a hare and a portion of a hedjet crown. 19 grams total, 2-19 mm
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection. -
Egyptian Faience Eye of Horus
Late New Kingdom, circa 1300-1075 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Openwork wedjat eye pendant with suspension loop above and slender frame. 0.78 grams, 21 mm
Acquired 1970s onwards. Private collection of Michael O'Hara, Cambridgeshire, UK.
The wedjat eye amulet symbolised the eye of the falcon god Horus. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, Horus’ eye was gouged out by his treacherous uncle Seth and then healed by Thoth. While these amulets could be worn for protection in daily life, they also played a significant role in the funerary sphere. Wedjat eye amulets were believed to offer protection to the deceased’s mummy and could serve as substitutes for daily food offerings. -
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.