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LOT 0462
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
3/4 in. (0.94 grams, 19 mm).
With detailing to the body and head, ribbed suspension loop above the head. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx London, UK, gentleman, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, pp.62-3.
FootnotesFly amulets were believed to protect against insect bites and to ward off troublesome flying creatures through apotropaic magic. Some believe they may have even symbolised the fly’s fecundity. Additionally, pharaohs would bestow gold fly-shaped pendants as military awards to honour the bravery and persistence of soldiers in battle.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0462
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Estimate £80 - 100€93 - 116 (for guidance only)$108 - 135 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Rock Crystal Locust Pendant
New Kingdom, circa 1400–1292 B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Bids: 11 | Current Bid: £65
Carved in the round with closed wings and a slightly curving body, pierced through the body for suspension. 3.7 grams, 26 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The depiction somewhat resembles a cicada, although this would be very rare in ancient Egyptian plastic arts. The grasshopper and the locust were known in Egyptian as sꜣnḥm or snḥm. Although the insect was often depicted in Old Kingdom tomb scenes, it appeared in various other forms of visual art, such as amulets, cosmetic vessels, and beads, only during the New Kingdom, when it served as a symbol of regeneration. -
Romano-Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £270
Small alabastron in banded Egyptian calcite-alabaster, pointed ovoid body and tall neck divided by a broad annular collar and finished with a plain straight rim. 7.71 grams, 44 mm
Acquired on the European art market in 1990s. English private collection.
A well-attested type produced from the Twenty-Seventh Dynasty through the Ptolemaic period and continuing into the early Julio-Claudian era. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Hypogees Papyrus Manuscript from Thebes
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 64 from Vol.II of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Thèbes. Hypogées. Manuscrit sur papyrus. 4eme partie. 235 grams, 105 x 69.5 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 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 an underground tomb chamber (hypogeum). This includes a scene (bottom right) depicting the weighing of the deceased's heart before Osiris's divine tribunal. The heart is balanced against the feather of Maat, and the ibis-headed Thoth records the verdict. If the heart fails to balance, it is devoured by a fearsome creature called Ammut, and the deceased would cease to exist.
