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LOT 0510
Egyptian Multi-Stranded Mummy Bead Necklace
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
29 1/8 in. (21 grams, 74 cm).
Multi-stranded designer necklace composed of beads of mainly annular and tubular types. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired before 1979.
From the private collection of Mr F. A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014.
Cf. similar specimens in faience at the Worcester Art Museum, inventory no.1925.539.
FootnotesFor thousands of years, artisans in Egypt created vibrant ceramics to echo the beauty of rare jewels. These ornaments were created with almost every material, colour, and texture imaginable and they come from across Egypt and beyond: vibrant blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, glossy black obsidian from Turkey, and aqua-green turquoise from the Sinai. They were worn in life and, after death, they served as precious ornamentation for mummies.
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 Faience Amulet of an Ibis
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
An exquisitely modelled figure of a seated ibis on a trapezoidal-shaped plinth, with its beak resting on the slender feather of Maat; light turquoise glaze for the body, plinth, and feather; blue glaze for the tail feathers, feet and neck; head missing. 3.54 grams, 31 mm
with Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 3 October 2000, no.413. Private collection, Europe.
The ibis was considered sacred to the god Thoth. It is likely that the popularity of amulets depicting an ibis resting its beak on the feather of Maat in the funerary sphere is connected to Thoth's role as the recorder of the final judgment of the deceased by the divine tribunal. This tribunal determined if the deceased had lived a virtuous life and could enter the Underworld. This was visually represented by the deceased's heart placed on scales with the feather of Maat; if the heart and feather balanced, eternity was assured. -
Egyptian Porphyry Disc-Mace
Neolithic Period, circa 2500-1500 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Circular in plan with worked cutting edge all round, socket with one chamfered face. 556 grams, 14 cm
Probably found Egypt, North Africa. Acquired on the British art market. From the collection of a South West London, UK, specialist Stone Age collector. -
Egyptian Faience Bead and Scarab Group
Mainly Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising mainly blue tubular and annular beads, and a small Tawaret(?) amulet; a fragmentary glass bead(?) with some iridescence, a fragmentary scarab and a carnelian scarab with the throne name of Thutmose III, men-kheper-Re, to the underside, chipped. 8 grams total, 2-17 mm
Ex Belinda Elliston collection.
