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Details
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]
Provenance
Ex 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.
Literature
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p.62.
Footnotes
Fly 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.
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