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LOT 0459
Phoenicio-Egyptian Dark Green Stone Scarab
CIRCA 6TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.
5/8 in. (3.94 grams, 15 mm).
With textured carapace, bull-horned column to the reverse.
ProvenanceFrom the property of the late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999.
LiteratureCf. Moscati, S., I Fenici (The Phoenicians), Milano, 1988, p.395, for examples of Phoenician scarabs.
FootnotesThe widespread adoption of the scarab, both as a symbol linked to the concept of rebirth, and in its function as a seal, exemplifies the extent of Egyptian influence on Phoenician culture, from its origins in the Levant to its spread across the Mediterranean.
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LOT 0459
Phoenicio-Egyptian Dark Green Stone Scarab
Estimate £250 - 350€290 - 410 (for guidance only)$340 - 470 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Bronze Figure of Harpocrates
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,250
Seated nude statuette of Harpocrates, with legs together and left arm by his side, right arm bent across the chest with forefinger raised to his lips, wearing a nemes headdress with uraeus on the front and a bold sidelock on the right side, surmounted by an elaborate hem-hem crown consisting of three conical atef crowns each topped with a sun disc, with an ostrich plume to the side of the outermost, and flanked by two uraei with sun discs, all supported on two horizontal ram's horns; semi-naturalistic anatomical detailing; feet resting on an integral square plinth, mounted on a wooden stand. 584 grams, 18.5 cm
Ex pre-war collection, Switzerland. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075707. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12371-226682.
Harpocrates is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian Hor-pa-khered, which translates as 'Horus the Child'. This refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. Statuettes of Harpocrates could provide the dedicator with the same protection that Isis gave her beloved son. -
Egyptian Steatite Scarab with Bes
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Plano-convex in section with detailed obverse, the underside with the figure of Bes flanked by adoring baboons and sun discs. 10.7 grams, 31 mm
Ex London, UK collection, 1990s.
Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his somewhat fearful appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and believed to protect the wearer from snakes. The depiction of baboons flanking Bes with their arms raised before the sun disk was a common feature on temple wall reliefs. In ancient Egyptian religious literature, baboons heralded the dawn and, thus, the rebirth of the sun. -
Egyptian Limestone 'Floral' Inlay Group
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £26
Group of discoid inlay plaques or gaming counters, crinoids with cinquefoil motif. 60 grams total, 9-20 mm
From a central London ADA dealership, 1980-1990.
Flowers were symbolic of rebirth due to the daily reopening of their petals after nightfall. As a result, they were widely used in domestic settings, religious and funerary contexts, and as adornments. Similar rosette discs, like those recovered from the Ramesside Period palace at Qantir, were used as decorative elements in royal palaces.