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LOT 0497
Egyptian Limestone 'Floral' Inlay Group
ROMAN PERIOD, 30 B.C.-323 A.D. OR EARLIER
1/2 - 3/4 in. (35 grams total, 14-18 mm).
Group of discoid inlay plaques or gaming counters, crinoids with cinquefoil motif. [20, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a central London ADA dealership, 1980-1990.
FootnotesFlowers were symbolic of rebirth due to the daily reopening of their petals after nightfall. As a result, they were widely used in domestic settings, religious and funerary contexts, and as adornments. Similar rosette discs, like those recovered from the Ramesside Period palace at Qantir, were used as decorative elements in royal palaces.
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 Gold Mounted Scarab Bead
Middle Kingdom-Second Intermediate Period, circa 1900-1560 B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Comprising a faience scarab with a scroll-work border framing the vertically arranged hieroglyphs: kheper beetle, nwb sign for gold, and two nfr signs flanking an ankh sign, set in a gold funda with tubular collars. 3.36 grams, 20 mm
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Mask
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
A panel of small glazed composition beads in various colours representing a mummy face mask with false beard with netted border; restrung with some later beads. 42 grams, 13.5 cm
Ex Mariaud des Serres, Paris, France, 1990s. -
Egyptian Wooden Head of an Ibis
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Naturalistically carved ibis head from a composite statuette, with carefully detailed beak and eyes; traces of gesso and gilding remain; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 116 grams total, 18.5 cm wide
American private collection, New York, acquired in London before 2000.
The ibis was sacred to the god Thoth, who was revered for his association with knowledge, writing, and healing. The god also acted as the recorder of the final judgment, which determined whether the deceased had lived a life of virtue. Vast numbers of ibises were mummified in religious centres such as Saqqara and Tuna el-Gebel, where they were offerings to the god and interred in extensive catacombs.
