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LOT 0010
Phoenician Amethyst Scarab with Horse’s Head and Later Aramaic Inscription
LATE 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1/2 in. (1.59 grams, 13 mm).
Scaraboid in form with transverse piercing, four later engraved Aramaic characters engraved to the flat face above a horse-head motif; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK, 1969-1999; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of a previous cataloguing slip.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0010
Phoenician Amethyst Scarab with Horse’s Head and Later Aramaic Inscription
Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
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Romano-Egyptian Mosaic Glass Fragments
Circa 1st century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Including geometric and other patterns. 18 grams total, 5-30 mm
Ex Gallery Mikazuki prior to 1984. Propery of a London, UK, gentleman. -
Egyptian Steatite Scarab with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Detailed carapace and legs, a leaping quadruped with other hieroglyphs on the underside; pierced longitudinally. 2.37 grams, 16 mm
Mrs Allinson to Mrs Foster, 1867 and thence by descent to the current owner, Stanley Crescent, London, UK. -
Egyptian Steatite Portrait of a Ptolemaic Prince
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,350
With a round face, large eyes, a narrow nose that broadens at the end, and full lips downturned at the corners; the forehead with a distinctive deep furrow above the brow; a narrow, twisted diadem encircling his wavy hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 84 grams total, 10 cm including stand
Private collection, Bern, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12631-236408.
The Greek hairstyle is a characteristic feature of Ptolemaic royal portraiture, as is the twisted diadem - a Greek interpretation of the Egyptian headband (the sšd) - which appears on several portrait heads of Ptolemaic boy-kings and princes. The distinctive furrow is intriguing, as it contrasts with the typically blemish-free physiognomy of most Ptolemaic royal sculpture. However, a similar furrow can be seen on the portrait head of a provincial governor from Dendera, dated to the 2nd century B.C. (Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp. 144-143, pl. 112, nos. 301-302), which may indicate an artistic trend employed in high-status sculpture at that time. It has been suggested that small royal portrait heads, such as this example, may have served as votives. The lack of an Egyptian-style back pillar on this and similar pieces supports the possibility that they were inserted into statues made of different materials (Ashton, S.-A., Ptolemaic Royal Sculpture from Egypt, BAR International Series 923, Oxford, 2001, p.12).
