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LOT 0503
Egyptian Hardstone Architectural Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 in. (2.38 grams, 25 mm).
Amuletic model of a stonemason's plummet.
Provenancewith Hotel des Ventes, Drouot, Paris, France.
From the collection of Mr H. Naudy, Paris, France.
Acquired at between 2004-2010.
Property of a French collector.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p. 85, pl.87a, for a similar haematite example.
FootnotesThe stonemason’s plumb bob amulet was most frequently made of a dark hardstone like this example and paired with a set-square amulet. Plummet amulets were thought to grant their owner everlasting balance and harmony.
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 Bronze Cobra Mount
Late Period, 6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Cobra-shaped mount with head raised and hood expanded, two mounting studs to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. 182 grams, 22 cm
Private Israeli collection. Ex Archaeological Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015. Private European collection.
The mount most likely adorned the Atef crown of a statue of Osiris. -
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Egypto-Phoenician Stone Scaraboid Group
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
One has an incuse falcon representing the god Re-Horakhty on the underside, the other in mottled hardstone. 4.69 grams total, 13-18 mm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Egyptian Pre-Dynastic Greywacke Palette
Predynastic Period, Naqada III, circa 3300–2960 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Circular in plan with smoothed faces, pierced through the edge. 238 grams, 13.3 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Palettes were utilitarian objects used in the Predynastic Period to grind and mix mineral-based eye pigments (including ochre, malachite, and haematite). Greywacke cosmetic palettes were easily carved in various shapes and sizes, including zoomorphic representations and geometric forms. The symbolism of this circular palette may be connected to the sun disc, which featured prominently in ancient Egyptian culture. The palette was so significant in Predynastic society that purely ceremonial versions, often impractically large for their original purpose, were produced for use in temple rituals. The most famous is the highly decorated Narmer Palette discovered at Hierakonpolis.
