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LOT 0421
Egyptian Mixed Scarab and Scaraboid Collection
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1/2 - 7/8 in. (13 grams total, 11-23 mm).
Comprising (from left to right, top to bottom): 1) a scarab with an oval border containing a goose, nefer(?), and a reed leaf; 2) a scarab with an oval border featuring a triple lotus flower motif at the top and bottom, with a middle row of floral bundles; 3) a scaraboid with a long oval border containing a cross pattern incorporating scrolls, coiled cords, and floral elements; 4) a scarab with an oval border featuring a hes-jar flanked by two cobras; 5) a scarab with a standing male figure holding a sceptre/mace and a flail, flanked by two highly stylised rearing cobras; 6) a plain scarab; 7) and a scarab with an oval border containing the name Amun-Re, a neb symbol, and a lotus flower. [7]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. 1) Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 2: Analyse thématique, Beirut, 1976, p. 393, nos. 1029-1032, for examples of scarab motifs incorporating a goose, reed leaf, and other symbols; 2) Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Fribourg/Göttingen, 2007, pl. 32, no.2, for a similar example, but with two central rows of floral bundles; 3) Ben-Tor, D., Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period, Fribourg/Göttingen, 2007, pl. 68, no. 10, for a comparable design of a Caananite scarab; 4) Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 2: Analyse thématique, Beirut, 1976, p. 395, no.1152, for a scarab with a horizontal arrangement of the same motif; 5) Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 2: Analyse thématique, Beirut, 1976, p. 402, no. 1662, for a similarly-themed scarab; 7) Ben-Tor, D., The Scarab: A Reflection of Ancient Egypt, Tel Aviv, 1993, p.73, no.1, for similar.
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 Carnelian Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Carved with ribbed body and eye detailing; drilled through the body for suspension. 0.34 grams, 10 mm
Ex London, UK, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Small fly amulets first appeared in burials during the Naqada II Period, c. 3200 B.C. These amulets grew in popularity and the materials used to make them expanded during the New Kingdom. They are crafted from a variety of materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and bone. These amulets were thought to protect against insect bites and to ward off troublesome flying creatures through apotropaic magic. Some believe they may have even been intended to symbolise the fly’s fecundity. Additionally, pharaohs would bestow gold fly-shaped pendants as military awards to honour the bravery and fly-like persistence of soldiers in battle. -
Egyptian Hardstone Hair Ring
New Kingdom, 1550-1070 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Circular with a semi-circular profile and an opening on one side. 3.57 grams, 17 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. -
Egyptian Mummy Shroud Section with Hieratic Text
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 480-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
A section of woven linen textile featuring lines of neat hieratic text in black. 5.61 grams, 16 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
From the fifth century B.C., mummy wrappings for the affluent frequently display lines of hieratic script—a cursive variant of Egyptian hieroglyphs used for both daily and religious writings. These often include excerpts from funerary texts like the Book of the Dead, along with prayers and invocations designed to safeguard and guide the deceased in the afterlife. These texts, sometimes accompanied by vignettes, were inscribed directly on the linen strips before or during the mummification process. Some of these bandages could be remarkably long; one example from Brussels, measuring only 6.2 cm in width, spans an incredible 26 metres.
