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LOT 0535
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
5/8 in. (0.84 grams, 16 mm).
Formed as a fly with long triangular wings and domed eyes.
ProvenanceFrom an early 20th century collection.
LiteratureCf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, pp.62-3.
FootnotesConsidering Egyptian artists often depicted fly whisks in the hands of pharaohs and high officials, one might assume that flies were simply a nuisance. However, the Egyptians held flies in high regard due to their quick speed, reactions, and persistence. 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 various 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 soldiers' bravery and fly-like persistence in battle.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Gold Uraeus Amulet
Late New Kingdom, 1070-900 B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
In rearing cobra pose with body coiled below. 0.38 grams, 11 mm
From an early 20th century French collection. -
Egyptian Blue Glazed Scarab of Thutmose III
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, circa 1504-1452 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
With detailed carapace, legs and mouth; hieroglyphs to the underside including cartouche of Thutmose III. 2.74 grams, 17.13 mm
From an old Suffolk, UK, collection. Acquired in the UK before 1980. From the personal collection of Derek Rogers, Suffolk, UK.
Thutmose III was a renowned warrior king widely revered even centuries after his reign. -
Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph Print of Hieroglyphs
1820 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Leclerc - Thèbes - Hypogées - Manuscrit sur papyrus - Proof etching on laid paper of plate 69 from La Description de l’Égypte: Antiquités, Volume II: Commission des sciences et arts d’Égypte with later backing sheet. 350 grams, 132 x 65 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 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). The papyrus manuscript was recovered from the underground chambers (hypogea). The papyrus is now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
