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LOT 0414
Egyptian Mounted Coptic Textile with Figures
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
24 7/8 x 7 in. (120 grams, 62 x 18 cm).
Comprising a clavus decorated with various bright colours (green, brown, blue, yellow) with stylised human figures vertically arranged upon a red background and separated by foliage decoration, vegetal pattern inside the orbiculus, polychrome dowel frame with an articulated and rounded profile, all upon linen background with roped border. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Del Francia Barocas, L., Museo dell'Alto Medioevo, Roma, I materiali Copti, p.168-171, nos.42 A-B, for similar textile figures and warp.
FootnotesTapestry technique on linen and wool. It is highly probable that this tapestry was part of a tunic decoration, the clavus with preserved orbiculus, running vertically on the breast and on the back of it.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Faience Scarab with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Naturalistic detailing to the blue stained body and legs with section of openwork between the front and back legs; hieroglyphs on base; pierced for suspension. 1.72 grams, 15 mm
Ex collection of Emil Saad, Paris-Alexandria. -
Egyptian Gold Cat Amulet of the God Bastet
Late New Kingdom, 1070-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Modelled seated on an arch-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the reverse. 0.50 grams, 8 mm
From an early 20th century French collection.
The goddess Bastet was considered to be the daughter of the sun god and was originally shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she is portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she is associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred some time around the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She is still associated with the destructive power of the sun and is shown on the prow of the solar boat decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are the most obvious in Bastet and she is seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god, and the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and in a text from Karnak the Pharaoh Amenhotep II describes how his enemies are slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak where she is known as the "Lady of Asheru" which places her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region at Bubastis and was known as Per-Bastet or "the House of Bastet." Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at not only Bubastis but also Saqqara and Memphis. -
Large Egyptian Hardstone Scarab
Late Period, 664-323 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Carved with stylised anatomical detailing and drilled for suspension; blank base. 5.12 grams, 22 mm
From an early 20th century collection, Carnavon, North Wales, UK.
