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_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Marble Head of a Queen")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Marble Head of a Queen")
.jpg "Egyptian Marble Head of a Queen")
LOT 0517
Egyptian Marble Head of a Queen
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 323-30 B.C.
4 in. (5 5/8 in.) (313 grams total, 10 cm high (14.3 cm high including stand)).
Modelled in the half-round in Hellenistic style with a stephane and centre-parted hair, serene facial features including hooded eyes and pert lips; mounted on a custom-made wooden display stand.
ProvenanceEx Hanna Saba collection, Ambassador to Egypt-USA-France (1909-1992).
Private European collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12083-218194.
See Walker S., Higgs, P., Cleopatra Regina d’Egitto, Milano, 2000; Walker, S., Higgs, P., Cleopatra of Egypt, from History to the Myth, London, 2001; for discussion see Berman, L.M., The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Egyptian Art, New York, 1999; Andrews, C., van Dijk, J., Objects for Eternity: Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection, Mainz am Rhein, 2006.
FootnotesThe head is similar to various portraits of Ptolemaic queens, some of them identified as belonging to the famous Berenice II (246-222 B.C.), some others to Cleopatra VII Philopator (69-30 BC), the lover of Julius Caesar, the spouse of Mark Anthony and the last Queen of Egypt. The analogies with Berenike II’s portrait are noteworthy, especially with the portrait in the Cairo Museum (inv.JE 39517): the diadem and its position on the top of the head, similar physical features, and similar roundness of the cheeks.
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
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Egyptian Steatite Portrait of a Ptolemaic Prince
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,350
With a round face, large eyes, a narrow nose that broadens at the end, and full lips downturned at the corners; the forehead with a distinctive deep furrow above the brow; a narrow, twisted diadem encircling his wavy hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 84 grams total, 10 cm including stand
Private collection, Bern, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12631-236408.
The Greek hairstyle is a characteristic feature of Ptolemaic royal portraiture, as is the twisted diadem - a Greek interpretation of the Egyptian headband (the sšd) - which appears on several portrait heads of Ptolemaic boy-kings and princes. The distinctive furrow is intriguing, as it contrasts with the typically blemish-free physiognomy of most Ptolemaic royal sculpture. However, a similar furrow can be seen on the portrait head of a provincial governor from Dendera, dated to the 2nd century B.C. (Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp. 144-143, pl. 112, nos. 301-302), which may indicate an artistic trend employed in high-status sculpture at that time. It has been suggested that small royal portrait heads, such as this example, may have served as votives. The lack of an Egyptian-style back pillar on this and similar pieces supports the possibility that they were inserted into statues made of different materials (Ashton, S.-A., Ptolemaic Royal Sculpture from Egypt, BAR International Series 923, Oxford, 2001, p.12). -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Memnonium at Thebes and Tomb of Ozymandias
Early 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 26 from Vol .II of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Thèbes. Memnonium. Vue du tombeau d'Osymandyas et d'une partie de la chaîne Libyque, prise du nord-est. 227 grams, 104 x 69.5 cm
From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The "Memnonium" was the Greek name for the mortuary temple of Ramesses II, known today as the Ramesseum. -
Egyptian Faience Triad Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Comprising in high relief the Osirian triad (Nephthys, Horus, Isis) standing side by side on an integral plinth against a dorsal pillar; Nephthys (right) and Isis (left) shown frontally wearing headdresses with their own attributes, each holding the hands of Horus in the centre, naked and wearing the side-lock of youth; ribbed loop at the top for suspension. 8.56 grams, 33 mm
From the collection of a Swedish noble family, 1920s.
