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LOT 0442
Egyptian Mummy Shroud Section with Hieratic Text
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 480-30 B.C.
15 3/4 in. (3.74 grams, 40 cm).
A narrow strip of woven linen textile featuring two lines of neatly written hieratic text in black.
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. A. De Caluwe, A., Un "Livre des Morts" sur bandelette de momie, Brussels, 1991, for a discussion of the longest known mummy bandage.
FootnotesFrom the fifth century B.C., mummy wrappings often feature hieratic script—a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphs used for daily and religious texts. These include excerpts from funerary works like the Book of the Dead, alongside prayers meant to protect the deceased in the afterlife. Often with vignettes, these texts were inscribed directly on linen strips during the mummification. Some bandages were notably long; one from Brussels, 6.2 cm wide, measures an incredible 26 metres.
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 Green Glazed Faience Figure of Somtous
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Modelled in the round, the nude seated figure of the child Somtous, with one hand to his lips and a prominent sidelock, emerging from a lotus flower; mounted on a custom-made stand. 39.7 grams total, 68 mm including stand
with Noriuchi Horiuchi, Tokyo, Japan. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above in 1993. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The earliest attestations of the cult of Somtous, known as Sematawy in ancient Egyptian, date back to the New Kingdom, although it became particularly popular during the Late Period. Associated with Horus (Horsomtous), the symbol of the child emerging from the lotus represented the (re)birth of the sun god. Thus, Somtous was regarded as a life-giving amuletic symbol, sometimes even referred to as 'Sematawy the child who gives life.' -
Egyptian Statuette of a Standing Monkey
Ptolemaic Period, 4th-1st century B.C. or laterEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Standing on a rectangular plinth with head raised and tail curled above the hindquarters, barrel-shaped body with incised detailing at the shoulders and hips, traces of a white and reddish brown coating; partially restored; old collector's labels to underside '51' and 'N13234'. 42.8 grams, 60 mm
Ex Baden-Württemberg, Germany, formed since ca.1930. Private collection Saarland, Germany. Thereafter, Michael Schrôder, Germany. Consigned to DAWO Auktion, 18 February 2017, no.824. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00123279. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Hardstone Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
With detailed clypeus and head, raised ridge separating the wing case, resting on an oval base with plain underside. 10.1 grams, 27 mm
From the property of a London, UK, gentleman, 1970-2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The scarab, which represented the dung beetle, was the most popular amulet in ancient Egypt for approximately two thousand years until the Ptolemaic Period when it gradually fell out of favour. The popularity of scarabs extended beyond the borders of Egypt, and they were also distributed and produced in other regions, such as Phoenicia and Israel. The beetle is named khepri, derived from the verb 'to come into existence', and was considered the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, who was self-engendered. The ancient Egyptians mistakenly believed that the young beetle emerging from the dung ball was the result of an act of self-creation.
