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LOT 0530
Egyptian Painted Limestone Shabti for Abet-iyiry
LATE NEW KINGDOM, CIRCA 1100 B.C.
5 1/4 in. (162 grams, 13.3 cm).
With remains of pigment to the tripartite wig, face and eyes; vertical band of hieroglyphic inscription in black on the front giving dedication: 'sḥḏ wsir Ꜣbt-iyiry(?) mꜢʾ ḫrw' ‘The illuminated, the Osiris, Abet-iyiry(?), true of voice’; with remains of red borders and red detailing to the back.
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. similar in the collection of the British Museum under accession no.EA48977.
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 Multi-Stranded Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-525 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Multi-stranded restrung composition necklace composed of beads of mainly annular and tubular types. 27 grams, 66 cm
Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F. A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014.
For 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. -
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
With linear detailing to body and wings, loop above the neck. 1.1 grams, 20 mm
From an early 20th century collection.
Small fly amulets first appeared in burials during the Naqada II Period, c. 3200 B.C. These amulets grew in popularity and the materials used to make them expanded during the New Kingdom. They are crafted from a variety of materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and bone. These amulets were thought to protect against insect bites and to ward off troublesome flying creatures through apotropaic magic. Some believe they may have even been intended to symbolise the fly’s fecundity. Additionally, pharaohs would bestow gold fly-shaped pendants as military awards to honour the bravery and fly-like persistence of soldiers in battle. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Panel with Four Sons of Horus
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Restrung as an openwork panel with a winged scarab above and the Four Sons of Horus below as two opposing pairs; restrung with some later beads. 34.6 grams, 15 cm
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection.
These elements would have been placed on the chest and body below a beadwork mummy mask. Winged scarabs were often used as funerary amulets and believed to symbolise the deceased's rebirth and regeneration. The Four Sons of Horus protected the deceased's internal organs. Here, on the left, is the erect-eared jackal-headed Duamutef who protects the stomach, followed by the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, who protects the intestines, then the human-headed Imsety, protector of the liver and, finally, the baboon-headed Hapy on the right, protector of the lungs.
