Phoenician Blue Glass Bird Pendant

Hollow-formed amuletic pendant with applied trails to the body, iridescent surface, yellow glass detailing. 5.5 grams, 32 mm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Restrung necklace of annular and tabular beads with fructiform amulets. 13.1 grams, 44 cm



Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.

Petal-shaped beads of faience and glass were widely used in jewellery during the Amarna Period. During this era, advanced production methods enabled the creation of bi-chrome and polychrome designs, which often included newly developed colours. This resulted in vibrant necklaces that resembled festive collars made of natural floral elements.

Dressed panel with reserved rectangular border to upper edge with ochre and terracotta pigment; left edge with reserved rectangle and column of hieroglyphs picked out with pigment; the left edge with a reserved rectangle and column of hieroglyphs picked out with pigment giving the titles of the deceased: ı͗ry-pꜤt ḥꜢty-Ꜥ nb, 'member of the elite, foremost of action, and lord'; to the right, a tabulated list of offerings with the quantities for each indicated beneath. 10.85 kg, 37 cm high



Acquired in the mid-1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12199-222171.

The majority of preserved Old Kingdom offerings lists come from tombs at Saqqara or other parts of the Memphite necropolis and were intended to ensure that the deceased would be sustainably provided for eternally. During the 4th Dynasty, around 165 different offerings could be listed for the deceased, but by the 5th Dynasty, almost half of these had disappeared while some new ones were added. Even then, these lists could include around a hundred offerings. Although non-consumable items such as eye paint and cloth are sometimes listed, most offerings are different kinds of food, such as bread, wine, grain, and fruit.