Loading, please wait...
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
.jpg)
Egyptian Steatite Scarab with Bes
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Plano-convex in section with detailed obverse, the underside with the figure of Bes flanked by adoring baboons and sun discs. 10.7 grams, 31 mm
Ex London, UK collection, 1990s.
Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his somewhat fearful appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and believed to protect the wearer from snakes. The depiction of baboons flanking Bes with their arms raised before the sun disk was a common feature on temple wall reliefs. In ancient Egyptian religious literature, baboons heralded the dawn and, thus, the rebirth of the sun. -
Phoenician-Iberian Stone Head of a Lady
Circa 600 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £208
Carved in the round with hatched hair and low-relief facial features; mounted on a custom-made stand. 857 grams total, 17 cm high including stand
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 Cylinder Seal with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Steatite cylinder producing a decorative top and bottom border enclosing a scene depicting a nefer sign flanked by two falcons surmounting the hieroglyph for gold, nub, and another scene to the side depicting a scarab beetle with a double plumed sun disc above; with a suspension hole running through the cylinder's centre. 4.65 grams, 25 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
