Large Egyptian Amethyst Heart Amulet

Sub-rectangular in plan with irregular and fragmented edge; prepared plaster surface featuring a line-bordered column with four cursive hieroglyphs naming Behedet (bḥdt); a section of finely painted outstretched wing with feather detailing to lower edge in red and blue; below, a wedjat eye in black with red medial band; fabric back to reverse. 48 grams, 17 cm



Formerly from an old collection of a Wiltshire, UK, collector, acquired before 1980. Property of a private collector, West London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

This fragment most likely originates from the lower chest section of a so-called anthropoid 'yellow coffin' from the Third Intermediate Period. The wing belongs to a protective deity; as Behedet is a name given to several locations (Edfu, Tell el-Balamun, and Lepidotonpolis) associated with Horus, it seems probable that the wing belongs to the falcon form of this god.

A section of woven linen textile featuring lines of neat hieratic text in black. 5.61 grams, 16 cm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

From the fifth century B.C., mummy wrappings for the affluent frequently display lines of hieratic script—a cursive variant of Egyptian hieroglyphs used for both daily and religious writings. These often include excerpts from funerary texts like the Book of the Dead, along with prayers and invocations designed to safeguard and guide the deceased in the afterlife. These texts, sometimes accompanied by vignettes, were inscribed directly on the linen strips before or during the mummification process. Some of these bandages could be remarkably long; one example from Brussels, measuring only 6.2 cm in width, spans an incredible 26 metres.

Substantial cast figurine modelled in the round of Harpocrates sitting with hands on his thighs, double crown and sidelock. 389 grams, 16.2 cm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Harpocrates is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian Hor-pa-khered, which means ‘Horus the Child’. This name refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. Wearing an amulet of Harpocrates was believed to give the wearer the same protection that Isis offered to her beloved son. Larger bronze statuettes probably served as votive offerings to Harpocrates to secure his favour and protection.