Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0519
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
3/4 in. (0.98 grams, 18 mm).
Formed as a fly with long triangular segmented wings, segmented body and domed eyes pierced for suspension. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From an early 20th century collection.
Literature
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, pp.62-3.
Footnotes
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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Egyptian Limestone Fragment Group
Middle Kingdom, 2035-1550 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,404
Comprising four fragments of dressed and plastered wall, each with painted hieroglyphs in blue, green and black shades, some with low-relief modelling. 1.03 kg total, 10.1-27.7 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
These fragments seem to be sections of tomb wall reliefs. They include portions of an offering formula, mention of a 'district', a festival, and the symbol of Anubis. The decoration in different parts of some Middle Kingdom tombs had scenes and texts applied in paint or executed with raised relief carving. -
Egyptian Red Jasper Bird Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
The seated figure of a duck(?), its small carefully rendered head with internally detailed eyes; a transverse suspension hole through its folded wings. 1.35 grams, 13 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
.jpg)
Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,950
The large liturgical rattle with a columnar handle composed of a bifacial figure of Bes standing on a lotus capital, flanked by seated sphinxes, his feathered crown supporting the bust of goddess Hathor wearing a broad collar and a curling wig, two rearing uraei emerging from the sides to support the base of the rattle, both wearing the pschent crown, above the cobras a standing figure of the goddess Hathor in cow form, wearing a tripartite wig and a sun disc between the horns; the rattle with a looped body with flared outer rims and set with three metal rods to accept metal discs, a pair of reclining lions to the base and the top with three felines surrounding a cockerel, and resting one of their front paws on the bird. 1.52 kg, 39.5 cm
German art market. European private collection, 1970s-early 2000s. Acquired from the above; thence by descent. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12348-225588.
The sistrum (seshesh in ancient Egyptian) was a rattle-like musical instrument, played exclusively by women in religious ceremonies. It was often decorated with the bust of the goddess Hathor to whom the sistrum was sacred. Their use continued into the Roman period in ceremonies associated with the cult of Isis.
