Phoenician Glass Bird Pendant

A 'stirrup' type ring with a substantial oval-shaped bezel bearing the name of Pharaoh Akhenaten - Nefer-kheperu-re Wah-en-re; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 7.28 grams, 19.03 mm overall, 12.08 mm internal diameter



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Akhenaten, an 18th Dynasty pharaoh (c. 1353-1336 BCE), introduced a major religious shift by promoting the Aten, the sun disc, as the sole god. Rejecting the traditional polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt, Akhenaten elevated the Aten above all other gods and even changed his name from Amenhotep (IV) to Akhenaten, meaning ‘Effective for the Aten’. He founded a new short-lived capital in Middle Egypt called Akhetaten. However, traditional polytheism was restored after his death, and his reforms were largely reversed.

Carved rectangular plaque with central recess, carved image of a nude female modelled in the half-round with a deeply striated bag wig, arms by her side; traces of red and black pigment on the body; mounted on a custom-made stand. 502 grams total, 17.1 cm including stand



From a central London collection, formed 1980-2000. From the private collection of Mr David Barker, London, UK; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The rectangular limestone plaque almost certainly represents a shrine. Such plaques first appeared in Lower Egypt and became widespread in the Late Period and Ptolemaic era. They may have developed from earlier female figurines depicted on beds and are usually associated with the female goddesses Isis and Hathor, both powerful protectors of women and childbirth and associated with fertility.

Pyramidal in form with shallow-carved hip and facial detailing. 537 grams, 81 mm



with Artemis Gallery, Munich, Germany, 2001. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12580-232124. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The frog had a great role in ancient Egyptian mythology and was connected with the mythology of creation. A number of gods and goddesses were connected with the frog such as Heqet, Ptah, and Heh. The connection with the god Ptah as a god of creation was probably due to the idea that Ptah was the only god who created the world in ancient Egypt through his heart and his tongue. Every work of the god came about through what his heart devised and his tongue commanded. Frogs were often associated with Hekat, deity of birth and fecundity. Amulets of frogs were frequent votive gifts at such Predynastic and Archaic sites at Abydos, Naqada, and Saqqara.