Phoenician Inscribed Bronze Scaraboid Seal

Carved in the round with segmented carapace, pierced longitudinally for suspension. 4.75 grams, 22 mm



UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK.

Comprising a group of crumb-decorated polychrome oblate beads and a centrepiece pendant formed as a stylised bearded head. 179 grams total, 12-42 mm



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

The 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.

Standing mummiform figure, wearing the conical Atef crown with flanking ostrich plumes and frontal uraeus, holding the crook (heka) and flail (nekhakha) regalia; minor chip to the crown. 16.5 grams, 69 mm



Ex Constable collection, 1990s. Ex P. Morris collection.