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LOT 0490
Large Mounted Egyptian Coptic Textile
CIRCA 5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
34 in. (345 grams total, mount: 86.5 cm).
Possibly a fragment of a cloak, wool on linen, S-twist tapestry, decorated with a band of lanceolate leaves and two bigger opposed leaves in red, green and yellow colour.
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Calament, F., Durand, M., Antinoé, á la vie, á la mode, visions d’élégance dans les solitudes, Lyon, 2013, cat.44-45, for similar.
FootnotesA. Gayet, who excavated the Necropolis of Antinoe, showed that the cloaks of Coptic-era nobles could be ornate, with decoration applied or woven into the fabric. Realised in dark blue, red, orange, yellow, green, brown and off-white linen and wool, the leaves are usually positioned inside a central medallion, also lanceolate, divided by a small leaf surmounted by a flower.
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 Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Comprising a fragment of a clavus in white and purple linen and wool, S torsion, borders embroidered with pilasters, the central scene representing eagles alternating with geometric elements; a small fragment of another clavus, ornamented with running lions and fishes, borders with geometric patterns; a third fragment of a clavus, ornamented with vegetal patterns. 20 grams total including package, 6.1-15.6 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The clavi are realised in tapestry technique, and the one with prominent figures has a rounded end. They were part of a tunic decoration and the presence of the Imperial eagle, not a common pattern, could refer to a military tunic. -
Phoenician Glass Bead Collection
Circa 600-400 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £65
Four beads with a core of dark blue glass embedded with dispersed canes fused into the matrix, creating varied patterns in red, blue, white, and green, possibly Hebron. 19.6 grams total, 14-19 mm
Prince collection, 1990s-2014. Ex private collection 1970s-1990s. -
Egyptian Faience Hieroglyphic Shabti
Late New Kingdom-early Third Intermediate Period, circa 1200-1000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Mummiform figure wearing a lappet wig, with arms crossed and holding a pick and hoe outlined in black; the wig, facial features, necklace, and seed bag painted black; hieroglyphic text to lower body: sḥḏ wsỉr "The illuminated, the Osiris". 87 grams, 11.3 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
The shabti was a stock product included with an opening dedication, awaiting the addition of the prospective purchaser's name. However, many examples of shabtis with only partial dedications are known to have been buried with the deceased.
