Loading, please wait...
LOT 0017
Egyptian Mummy Shroud Section with Hieratic Text
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 480-30 B.C.
6 1/4 in. (5.61 grams, 16 cm).
A section of woven linen textile featuring lines of neat 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. De Caluwe, A., Un "Livre des Morts" sur bandelette de momie, Brussels, 1991, for a discussion of the longest known inscribed mummy bandage.
FootnotesFrom 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.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Egyptian Hardstone Heart Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
With stylised geometric ribbed carapace and underside. 16.6 grams, 33 mm
From an early 20th century collection. Ex London, UK, gallery. From a private UK collection This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The scarab amulet was one of ancient Egypt’s most widespread symbols, signifying rebirth, transformation, and protection. Modelled on the dung beetle associated with the sun god Khepri—believed to roll the sun across the sky—it symbolised the cycle of life and renewal. Widely used from the early Middle Kingdom onwards, scarabs served as funerary amulets (as here), personal charms, and seals, often inscribed with prayers or names. They reflect both spiritual beliefs and daily life in ancient Egypt. -
.jpg)
Egyptian Amarna Sandstone Relief Fragment
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, 14th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £15,600
Rectangular in plan with irregular left and lower edge; carved in low-relief in two registers with narrow border; lower register - plain with cream-white pigment; upper register – a combat or possibly post battle or tribute scene depicting two profile male heads with stern features, lentoid eye, strong mouth and chin, wearing brow-bands, probably Western Asiatics; with the leg of a kneeling(?) figure to the right; the reverse dressed but undecorated; two modern mounting holes to the long edge. 5.11 kg, 33 cm
Private collection, 1980s. Private European collection, 2008. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12853-241665. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Scenes of captured enemies and especially foreign envoys in audience with the pharaoh depict figures in various humiliating, supplicatory poses, including prostration and kneeling. -
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Amulet of Nephthys
Late Period, 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Depicting the goddess Nephthys wearing the two hieroglyphic parts of her name (Neb(et)-Hut), with dorsal pillar and base. 2.68 grams, 37 mm
with B.M.S., Switzerland. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above on 14 September 1981. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Nephthys was a protective goddess linked to mourning, magic, and the afterlife. As the sister of Isis, she played a vital role in the funerary rites of Osiris. Amulets like this were placed on the deceased to invoke her protection and aid in rebirth. Typically made of faience or semi-precious stone, they were especially common in the Late Period.
