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LOT 0464
Egyptian Hardstone Architectural Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 in. (3.15 grams, 24 mm).
Carved haematite representation of a carpenter's or stonemason's set-square.
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.87(c), for a similar haematite example.
FootnotesAmulets of the L-shaped carpenter's or stonemason's set-square, usually depicted as two rectangular strips of unequal lengths meeting at a right angle, were most frequently made of dark hard stones such as haematite, as this example. Set-square amulets were believed to bestow eternal moral uprightness upon their possessor.
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LOT 0464
Egyptian Hardstone Architectural Amulet
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Steatite Scarab
Second Intermediate Period, 17th-16th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Finely carved scarab with naturalistically detailed legs and head, the underside decorated with a standing figure atop a neb hieroglyph facing a stylised crocodile. 4.06 grams, 21 mm
with Archeological Centre, 2015. Private collection, Europe.
Scarabs with this design have been discovered in the northern Delta of Egypt and Palestine. The influence of the crocodile god Sobek on the production of late middle Bronze Age settlers at Avaris in the Egyptian Delta likely contributed to the popularity of Egyptian-themed scarabs with crocodiles and standing figures found in Palestinian sites. -
Egyptian Steatite Scarab
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
With detailed carapace and mouth, hieroglyphs to the underside depicting a pharaoh-headed recumbent lion, with hes-vase in front and the crowns of Lower and Upper Egypt behind. 0.80 grams, 12 mm
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s. -
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.
