Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet

Encaustic painting on thin linen fabric, upper part of the funeral shroud with half-length representation of the deceased, representing the bust of a young man in the guise of mummiform Osiris holding implements of his divinity, black hair, wearing a gilt broad collar (maniakion) and netting, pink dress ornamented with rosettes, traces of halo in white pigment; set in a glazed frame. 4.3 kg, 58 x 63 cm including frame



Collection of the estate of Patti Cadby Birch (1923-2007), New York, USA. with Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities, 5 June 2008, sale no.8452, no.105. European private collection, acquired thereafter. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00014603. 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 a search certificate number no.12612-234638. 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.

Fayum portraits, painted on wood or linen, applied to the mummies of the Graeco-Roman period, are one of the most wonderful legacies that the koiné of the Graeco-Roman world has left us. Due to the favourable climate enhancing the state of preservation, these encaustic paintings have left us an almost photographic testimony of the faces of the inhabitants of Roman Egypt. The realistic portrait shows here the idea of the deceased as Osiris. This idea, already existing in the Ptolemaic Period regardless of the gender of the person represented, continued to exist in the Graeco-Roman period. The deceased is undoubtedly a young man, beardless, with black and slightly frizzy hair. A similar male portrait with the same type of clothing, the attributes: nimbus and the identifying elements of Osiris can be found in a portrait now in Paris (Parlasca, 2003, no.771, pl.172,3). Patti Cadby Birch (1923-2007) was a prominent American philanthropist and collector, known for her significant contributions to the arts. A patron of institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, she supported numerous exhibitions and acquisitions, particularly in the fields of antiquities and Islamic art. Works from her esteemed collection have been widely exhibited and are held in several major museum collections.

Comprising a cream-coloured crescent-shaped boat manned by a crew of seven oarsmen, each with a short black wig, their bodies painted in reddish-brown and wearing cream-coloured kilts; all with pivoting arms and with hands drilled to accept oars (now missing); an outline around the boat's deck and a net pattern at the prow and stern in red; a portion of an inward slanting stern post remains, with traces of another at the prow; the oarsmen re-affixed. 1.29 kg, 41.5 cm wide



Acquired in the 1960s. From the collection of the late Egyptologist Surgeon Commander P.H.K. Gray RN. From a Surrey, UK, collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11943-209563. 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.

Models of various boat types were sometimes provided for the same burial. For the different types see Winlock, H.E., Models of Daily Life in Ancient Egypt from the Tomb of Meket-Re' at Thebes, Cambridge MA, 1955, pp.92-103.

With linear detailing to the body, raised eyes, pierced through the head for suspension. 0.82 grams, 17 mm



From an early 20th century collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Egyptian artists often depicted fly whisks with pharaohs and officials, suggesting flies were just nuisances. In reality, Egyptians valued flies for their speed and persistence. Small fly amulets appeared around 3200 B.C. in Naqada II burials, gaining popularity and varying materials during the New Kingdom, including gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and gemstones. These amulets were thought to protect against insect bites and troublesome creatures via apotropaic magic and possibly symbolised fecundity. Pharaohs awarded gold fly-shaped pendants to honour soldiers' bravery in battle.