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LOT 0464
Large Egyptian Faience Eye of Horus Amulet
THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1069-664 B.C.
2 in. (16.5 grams, 50.4 mm).
Sizeable wedjat-eye amulet with applied black detailing to the pupil and brow.
Provenancewith Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983.
Ex private North American collection.
London private collection, 2016.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, pl.46b, for a similarly black-highlighted wedjat-eye amulet.
FootnotesThe wedjat-eye amulet symbolises the healed eye of the god Horus, representing both human and falcon elements. The name wedjat in ancient Egyptian means ‘the one that is sound.’ According to Egyptian mythology, Horus' eye was wounded or taken by the god Seth and later restored by Thoth. The wedjat-eye amulet was believed to protect its wearer and confer qualities of recovery and regeneration. It was highly popular and was used by both the living and the dead.
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LOT 0464
Large Egyptian Faience Eye of Horus Amulet
Estimate £250 - 350€290 - 410 (for guidance only)$340 - 470 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Gold Necklace with Harpocrates Pendant
Roman Period, 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,500
Gold chain of double-looped links terminating in corrugated end elements, with hook-and-eye clasp; suspension ring embellished with applied granulation and a ribbed loop; hollow-formed sheet-gold pendant in the round depicting Harpocrates seated, his right forefinger raised to his mouth, wearing a finely detailed nemes headdress surmounted by a complex hemhem, crown incorporating multiple hedjet elements, flanking uraei, and ram's horns. 49.80 grams, 40.5 cm
Ex Elie Boustros collection, Lebanon. Private collection, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13203-249297.
The fully three-dimensional modelling of the pendant aligns it with a group of high-quality Roman-period Egyptian goldwork characterised by pronounced plasticity and sculptural ambition. A pertinent comparison may be drawn with the gold diadem depicting Serapis from the Dush Treasure, discovered concealed within the wall of a Roman fort in the Baris Oasis (Reddé, M., Douch IV. Le trésor de Douch, DFIFAO 28, Cairo, 1992). That assemblage, plausibly associated with a nearby temple of Serapis and Isis, demonstrates a similarly bold treatment of divine imagery in precious metal. Comparable small-scale representations of Harpocrates in gold - often amuletic in function - are known from Roman Egypt, though examples combining such intricate crown iconography with fully rounded modelling remain relatively rare. The present piece therefore occupies an interesting position between personal adornment and cultic or apotropaic object, reflecting both Alexandrian iconographic synthesis and provincial workshop virtuosity. Harpocrates is the Greek version 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 provide the same protection that Isis offered to her beloved son. -
Egyptian Faience Lotus Flower Amulet
18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, 1353-1336 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
A blue glazed composition pendant in the form of a lotus, with some repair to the suspension loop. 0.26 grams, 14 mm
Repaired.
Ex early 20th century London collection. -
Phoenician Faience Melon Bead Necklace
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Composed of graduated melon and other beads, the central feature a discoid pendant with a hooked cross symbol; restrung with a modern clasp. 47.4 grams, 42 cm
Ex London, UK, gallery, 1990s. Accompanied by a previous typed catalogue information card.
