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LOT 0493
Egyptian Jasper Fly Amulet
NEW KINGDOM, 1550-1070 B.C.
1/2 in. (0.33 grams, 11 mm).
With incised line detailing to the body, pierced longitudinally for suspension. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx London and Home Counties collection, UK, 1920-1940.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p.62.
FootnotesFly amulets are first attested during the Predynastic period (pre 3,100 BC). It is possible that they represented a wish to emulate the fly's renowned fecundity. These amulets were made in a variety of materials, including gold, and golden flies were used in the New Kingdom as an honorific award for military valour. No fewer than thirty-three fly amulets came from the tomb of the wives of Tuthmoses III.
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 Silver Bastet as Seated Cat Amulet
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 0.34 grams, 8 mm
From an early 20th century collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets offered the wearer the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was usually shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring. -
Large Egyptian Faience Thoth as a Baboon Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Modelled in the round as the god in baboon-form crouching holding a wedjat-eye in his forepaws; ribbed suspension loop on back; mounted on a custom-made stand. 31.51 grams total, 80 mm including stand
Ex private UK, collection formed since the 1960s. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Gold Uraeus Amulet
Late New Kingdom, 1279-1070 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
Depicting a rearing cobra sporting a sun disc with its coiled body below resting on the hieroglyphic neb sign. 0.38 grams, 11 mm
From an early 20th century French collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.