Egyptian Travertine Kohl Jar and Lid

Carved in the round with detailed carapace and legs; not pierced. 8.22 grams, 21 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The scarab amulet was arguably the most ubiquitous symbol in ancient Egypt, representing rebirth, transformation, and protection. Modelled after the scarab beetle, which was associated with the sun god Khepri, believed to roll the sun across the sky, the amulet illustrated the cycle of life and regeneration. Scarabs were commonly placed with the deceased as funerary amulets to ensure safe passage into the afterlife. They also served as seals and personal charms, often inscribed with prayers, names, or protective formulas. Widely used from the early Middle Kingdom (c. 2050 BCE) onwards, scarab amulets reflect spiritual beliefs and everyday practices in ancient Egyptian life.

Comprising: a seated figure of Isis suckling infant Horus on her lap, the goddess crowned with large cow horns flanking a solar disc, pierced behind the head; a mummiform Osiris-Canopus amulet wearing a nemes headdress and plain dorsal pillar, a winged scarab with solar disc above at the base of the figure; a kneeling Shu amulet, his arms raised above his head holding a large solar disc, pierced through the dorsal pillar. 6.47 grams total, 18-25 mm



Ex Prof. Dr Emil Vogt (1906-1974), The Former Director of the Swiss National Museum, Zürich, in his collection before 1970. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Comprising a squat piriform body with a wide everted rim, a band of later hieroglyphs beneath the shoulder: ḳmꜢ.t n bꜢw ı͗wnw nfrw.s (You have gathered the souls (i.e. divine powers) of Heliopolis—her beauties). 208 grams, 55 mm high



Ex late London, UK, gentleman, 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The inscription on what is a cosmetic vessel could be interpreted as “You acquire the powers of Heliopolis, source of her beauty”; “her beauties” likely references either the woman using the vessel or perhaps the divine beauty imparted by the contents.