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Details
LOT 256484
Egyptian Steatite Bust in a Gold Pendant
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
1 1/2 in. (8.75 grams, 38 mm).
Fragment of a carved panel or vessel depicting a female bust - possibly a queen or Isis - modelled in half-round relief, wearing a loosely draped tunic, a tiered wesekh collar, and a heavy curled, tripartite wig; reverse with lotus flower ropework and other ornamentation; mounted in a later gold suspension frame.
Provenance
Private collection, Southern France, 1970s.
Acquired on the English art market.
Literature
Cf. Walker, S., Higgs, P. (eds.), Cleopatra of Egypt from History to Myth, London, 2001, pp. 76-77, no. 56, for the stela depiction of Queen Arsinoe III wearing a similar garment; pp.160-161, no.160, for a statue of Cleopatra VII wearing a tripartite wig with similarly tight curls.
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LOT 256484
Egyptian Steatite Bust in a Gold Pendant
Estimate £700 - 900€810 - 1,040 (for guidance only)$950 - 1,220 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£350 (EUR 406; USD 473) +BP*
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From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.