Egypto-Phoenician Lapis Lazuli Scarab with Cartouche for Thutmose III

Including drum-shaped types with marvered eye-motifs. 65 grams total, 10-25 mm



UK gallery, early 2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The category belongs to the cylindrical turquoise eye beads with dark blue and white decorations. Pre-Roman glass beads of this type, generally dated to the Iron Age (end of the ninth century B.C. to 218 B.C.), have been found in significant amounts in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, especially in Phoenician and Punic burial contexts.

Multi-stranded designer necklace composed of beads of mainly annular and cylindrical types; restrung. 26 grams, 72 cm



Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F. A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

For thousands of years, artisans in Egypt created vibrant ceramics to echo the beauty of rare jewels. These ornaments were created with almost every material, colour, and texture imaginable and they come from across Egypt and beyond: vibrant blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, glossy black obsidian from Turkey, and aqua-green turquoise from the Sinai. They were worn in life and, after death, they served as precious ornamentation for mummies.

Carved with simple body and eye detailing and polished; drilled through the eyes for suspension. 0.41 grams, 13 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.

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.