Egyptian Mummy Bead Earring Pair

Typical mummiform figure, carved in the round with folded arms, wearing a tripartite wig; remains of gesso on the surface; mounted on a wooden base. 138 grams total, 21.9 cm including stand



Ex Budo Bleb (1940-2022) collection, Berlin, formed 1960s onwards.

Square in plan with transverse piercing, obverse with three panels: the left bearing a cartouche surmounted by two plumes containing the pharaoh’s birth name, i͗Ꜥms sꜢ nt (Ahmose, son (of) Neith); the right, a similar cartouche containing his throne name, ẖnm-i͗b-RꜤ (He who embraces the heart of Re); the centre inscription reads, ḥpw Ꜥnḫ sꜢ ḥpt(?) (the living Apis, son [of] Hepet?) two with a cartouche for Amasis, text to the centre. 4.96 grams, 26 mm



Ex private collection, Germany. with Galerie Günter Puhze, Freiburg, Germany, prior to 2003. Private collection, acquired on the German art market, 2004. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13186-249203.

The three-column text arrangement closely resembles that of another rectangular spacer bead, engraved with Ahmose II’s cartouches flanking a central inscription, now held at The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (accession number 42.377). Although the central inscription differs in content, the bead’s connection to the Apis bull is shown on the opposite side, where the sacred animal is depicted. Amasis II (Egyptian: Ahmose II), fifth king of the 26th Dynasty (Saite Period), reigned c. 570–526 BC. Rising to power after overthrowing Apries, Amasis presided over a period of renewed stability and prosperity in Late Period Egypt. His reign is characterised by administrative reform, economic growth, and an active foreign policy, including close diplomatic and commercial relations with the Greek world, evidenced by Greek mercenaries in Egyptian service and the granting of Naukratis as a trading enclave. Amasis undertook extensive temple building and restoration programmes throughout Egypt, particularly at Sais, Memphis, and in Upper Egypt, consciously aligning himself with earlier pharaonic traditions. His royal titulary appears widely on monuments, scarabs, amulets, and architectural elements, often reflecting an emphasis on divine legitimacy and Maʿat. Amasis died shortly before the Persian conquest of Egypt under Cambyses II; his reign represents the final florescence of independent Egyptian kingship before Achaemenid rule.

Proof etching on laid paper of plate 79 Thèbes - Byban el Molouk entitled Plan des 2e, 4e, 2e et 1er tombeaux des rois a l'Est. Plan du 3e tombeau a l'Ouest. Plan du Tombeau isolé de l'Ouest. Plan, coupe et détails de l'entrée et du sarcophage du 2e tombeau a l'Ouest. Plan et coupe du 1er tombeau a l'Ouest. Plan et coupe du 6e tombeau a l'Ouest. 208 grams, 102.5 x 69 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). This plate shows plans and sections of some of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings.