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LOT 0532
Egyptian Green Glass Pharaonic Face Inlay
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
5/8 in. (1.21 grams, 17 mm).
Formed as the profile of a youthful face with shallow socket to accept an eye-insert.
ProvenanceEx French collection, early 20th century.
From the collection of a late Japanese gentleman, 1970s onwards.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Central part of an orbiculus representing a six-petalled flower, S torsion, in red, yellow, olive green and blue wool. 11 grams total including package, 74 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
Similar figures are widely presented in Coptic textiles, repeating a pattern in which flowers are usually paired with bird figures. This decoration is typical of tunics, but it was also used in large-scale textiles intended for domestic or funerary furnishings. -
Phoenician Glass Bead Group
Circa 600-400 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Comprising: three ring-shaped with grooves and two irregular cube-shapes. 46 grams total, 18-25 mm
Prince collection, 1990s-2014. Ex private collection 1970s-1990s. -
Egyptian Steatite Portrait of a Ptolemaic Prince
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,350
With a round face, large eyes, a narrow nose that broadens at the end, and full lips downturned at the corners; the forehead with a distinctive deep furrow above the brow; a narrow, twisted diadem encircling his wavy hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 84 grams total, 10 cm including stand
Private collection, Bern, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12631-236408.
The Greek hairstyle is a characteristic feature of Ptolemaic royal portraiture, as is the twisted diadem - a Greek interpretation of the Egyptian headband (the sšd) - which appears on several portrait heads of Ptolemaic boy-kings and princes. The distinctive furrow is intriguing, as it contrasts with the typically blemish-free physiognomy of most Ptolemaic royal sculpture. However, a similar furrow can be seen on the portrait head of a provincial governor from Dendera, dated to the 2nd century B.C. (Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp. 144-143, pl. 112, nos. 301-302), which may indicate an artistic trend employed in high-status sculpture at that time. It has been suggested that small royal portrait heads, such as this example, may have served as votives. The lack of an Egyptian-style back pillar on this and similar pieces supports the possibility that they were inserted into statues made of different materials (Ashton, S.-A., Ptolemaic Royal Sculpture from Egypt, BAR International Series 923, Oxford, 2001, p.12).
