Romano-Egyptian Faience and Other Bead Necklace String

Comprising: carnelian type with plain underside; similar with incuse hand symbol; small greenstone type with scarab beetle and other signs; grey stone type with sphinx, indistinct hes- vase above, and two papyrus stalks below; another with a decorative cartouche panel and other signs; two supplied with a museum-quality impression. 7.12 grams total, 10-17 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Neferhotep depicted advancing on a rectangular base, holding in the left hand the was sceptre, topped with the stylised head of an animal linked to the god Seth, with the right arm held rigid by the side with a clenched fist; wearing a Pschent crown with uraeus above the brow, a short, pleated shendyt kilt, and a broad multi-strand collar; the head features a tightly curled wig, false beard, and lentoid wire rims around the eyes; mounted on a custom-made stand. 345 grams total, 17.3 cm high including stand



Private collection of Mrs Bogaert, formed in 1949, Ghent, near Brussels, Belgium. Ex private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13310-258230.

Neferhotep was explicitly recognised as a deity with a cult only from the Late Period, although it may have been understood earlier and later as the incarnation of the youthful divine king, since pharaohs from the 18th Dynasty to the Ptolemaic Period are sometimes depicted wearing the same wig. Neferhotep, whose name translates as 'the perfect one is at peace,' was considered to be the son of Hathor and was venerated at Hu (Diospolis Parva), as well as at Karnak, Dendera, and Behbeit el-Hagar. Provenanced statues of the god originate from the Memphite region.

Carved in the round with closed wings and a slightly curving body, pierced through the body for suspension. 3.7 grams, 26 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

The depiction somewhat resembles a cicada, although this would be very rare in ancient Egyptian plastic arts. The grasshopper and the locust were known in Egyptian as sꜣnḥm or snḥm. Although the insect was often depicted in Old Kingdom tomb scenes, it appeared in various other forms of visual art, such as amulets, cosmetic vessels, and beads, only during the New Kingdom, when it served as a symbol of regeneration.