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LOT 0485
Phoenician Inscribed Bronze Scaraboid Seal
LATE 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
3/4 in. (8.9 grams, 17 mm).
Plain domed body pierced longitudinally, inscribed underside. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx London, UK, gentleman, 1990.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Ben-Tor, D., The Scarab: A Reflection of Ancient Egypt, Tel Aviv, 1993, p. 32, for discussion and examples of the 'a-n-r' scarab design.
FootnotesAlthough it is difficult to make out for certain, the outer design appears to be composed of the 'a-n-r' hieroglyphs. The signs do not form a word and are thought to have been a decorative device used by Asiatic scarab makers, employing recognisably Egyptian hieroglyphs.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Pre-Dynastic Greywacke Palette
Predynastic Period, Naqada III, circa 3300–2960 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Circular in plan with smoothed faces, pierced through the edge. 238 grams, 13.3 cm
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.
Palettes were utilitarian objects used in the Predynastic Period to grind and mix mineral-based eye pigments (including ochre, malachite, and haematite). Greywacke cosmetic palettes were easily carved in various shapes and sizes, including zoomorphic representations and geometric forms. The symbolism of this circular palette may be connected to the sun disc, which featured prominently in ancient Egyptian culture. The palette was so significant in Predynastic society that purely ceremonial versions, often impractically large for their original purpose, were produced for use in temple rituals. The most famous is the highly decorated Narmer Palette discovered at Hierakonpolis. -
Egyptian Black Stone Head of a Female
Middle Kingdom, late 12th Dynasty, 1862-1787 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
Carved in the round head with almond-shaped eyes and copious hair, detailed ears; jawline, neck and cheeks abraded. 1.1 kg, 94 mm
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.
The nearly spherical shape suggests that the head was repurposed as a pounder. -
Egyptian Mixed Scarab Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Comprising (from left to right and top to bottom): 1) a scarab with an oval border containing, on either side, a maat feather, rearing cobra, and Dual Crown flanking a central column composed of ‘r’–‘n’–‘r’- sa (x2)-ka-neb signs; 2) a scarab with an oval border containing the throne name of pharaoh Amenhotep III (Neb-Maat-Re); 3) a scarab with an oval border containing a seated deity holding an ankh sign, facing sa, water, and neb signs; 4) a scarab with an oval border containing a running ibex surrounded by foliage; 5) a scarab with partially preserved design that gives the throne name of pharaoh Akhenaten (Nefer-kheperu-Re); 6) a scarab with an oval border containing a viper, duck and nefer signs. 19.5 grams total, 14-23 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
