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LOT 0454
Large Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
CIRCA 4TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
11 7/8 in. (108 grams total including package, 30 cm).
Very large tunic fragment with a clavus connected by a thin band to the orbiculus, in red purple, brown and red granate wool over linen, S torsion, embroidered with three tondos decorated with stylised images of dancers with raised heads and curly hair; crenellated borders. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Pritchard, F., Clothing culture, Dress in Egypt in the collection of The Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester, Manchester, 2006, figs.2.3 (a) and 2.3 (b), for similar textiles.
FootnotesThis type of embroidery was typical of tunics and garments characterised by full-length clavi, decorated with either intricate geometric patterns or with a multitude of small figures and animals, often edged with geometric borders and finished with thick, weft-loop fringes or cords.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Anhydrite Cosmetic Bowl
Middle Kingdom, circa 2040-1780 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Conical in profile with rounded rim, narrow disc base; repaired; a rare stone. 33.68 grams, 39 mm
Ex William Ohly, 1883-1955. Ex Abbey Museum, Barnet, by descent.
Anhydrite, incorrectly called "blue marble" by early excavators, was a stone favoured by the ancient Egyptians from the Middle Kingdom to the Second Intermediate Period. This particular example follows a Middle Kingdom-style cosmetic kohl jar that could be modelled with or without an integral rim. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Views of Alexandria
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 88 from 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 1. Vue du port neuf en mer du cote du nord. 2. Vue du port vieux prise en rade du cote du sud-ouest. 259 grams, 104.5 x 69 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). -
Egyptian Bronze Isis and Horus Pendant
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Isis modelled seated and suckling infant Horus on her lap, suspension loop behind the head. 5.04 grams, 39 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with fertility and motherhood and is often depicted in artworks seated in a nursing pose with her son, Horus, on her lap, as here.
