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LOT 0528
Phoenician Glass Bead Collection
6TH-3RD CENTURY B.C. OR LATER
1/2 - 1 5/8 in. (179 grams total, 12-42 mm).
Comprising a group of crumb-decorated polychrome oblate beads and a centrepiece pendant formed as a stylised bearded head. [29]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Lightfoot, C. S., The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art: Ancient Glass, New York, 2017, pp. 310-328, for discussion and examples of Phoenician glass beads.
FootnotesThe Phoenicians, renowned seafarers and traders, were also skilled glassworkers. They produced a wide variety of glass beads using core-forming and winding techniques, with vivid colours and elaborate designs that reflect both technical mastery and cross-cultural influence. Among the most iconic Phoenician beads are glass 'head' beads, crafted in the form of stylised human or mythological faces. Typically, they feature exaggerated facial details like bulging eyes, large noses, beards, and headdresses, often with expressive or comic features.
They were possibly worn as amulets to ward off evil or attract protection, though they may also represent deities, ancestors, or foreigners.
These beads often incorporate Egyptian, Greek, and Near Eastern stylistic elements, reflecting the Phoenicians’ extensive trade networks.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0528
Phoenician Glass Bead Collection
Estimate £900 - 1,200€1,040 - 1,390 (for guidance only)$1,220 - 1,620 (for guidance only)
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Romano-Egyptian Haematite Scarab with Gnostic Figure
3rd century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
With scene to underside of a winged figure advancing. 6.52 grams, 17 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. -
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
With detailing to wings and eyes, loop for suspension above the head. 2.15 grams, 24 mm
From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1990s.
Considering that Egyptian artists often depicted fly whisks in the hands of pharaohs and high officials, one might assume that flies were merely a nuisance. However, the Egyptians held flies in high regard for their speed, quick reactions, and persistence. Small fly amulets first appeared in burials during the Naqada II Period, around 3200 B.C. These amulets gained popularity and were crafted from various materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and bone. These amulets were believed to protect against insect bites and to ward off troublesome flying creatures through apotropaic magic. Some believe they may have even symbolised the fly’s fecundity. Additionally, pharaohs would bestow gold fly-shaped pendants as military awards to honour the bravery and persistence of soldiers in battle. -
Egyptian Bronze Seated Isis with Horus Statue
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Modelled enthroned, wearing a cow's horn headdress with a solar disc; suckling the infant Horus seated transversely on her lap; Horus modelled with a side-lock of youth; mounted on a custom-made wooden stand. 405 grams total, 17.5 cm including stand
Property of a deceased gentleman's collection, 1980s. Ex John Nicholson Auction, Haslemere, Surrey, UK.
