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LOT 0028
Romano-Egyptian Limestone Funerary Niche
COPTIC, 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
19 1/4 in. (57.55 kg, 49 cm).
Carved architectural block fragment comprising: a shallow niche with arched top and parallel sides, with concentric mouldings to create a reveal and ledge below to accept offerings; horizontal tiered base; attachment sockets for two figurines (absent) flanking the niche; to left, a column modelled in the half-round with two parallel vertical stems, shallow roundel to the base and stylised foliage at the top; pediment above with scooped profile; above each figurine recess an incised initial, 'A' and 'M'; facing surface keyed for plaster finish.
ProvenanceFrom the estate and private collection of Matthew Upham (1962-2025), an antiques trader from Budleigh Salterton, Devon, UK.
Acquired at an estate sale at auction.
Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no. 13297-255939.
Cf. Crum, M.W.E., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire, nos.8001-8741; Coptic Monuments, Le Caire, 1902, pls.II (8414); VII (8434), XLIX-LII, LIII, LIV (complete with the image of ‘orans’) for similar monuments; Atalla, N.S., Coptic Art, Sculptures, Architecture, L'Art Copte, II, Cairo, 1989, figs. pp.35, 45, for similar carvings; Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, items 870-872, for similar niches.
FootnotesIn the Christian Roman Empire, the stelae in the form of aedicula, which could be funerary monuments with crosses or the images of the deceased, or devotional niches with images of saints, appear to be independent sculptures. These stelae consisted of a rectangular body surmounted by a circular arch or trapezoidal structure. At the centre of the niche, the deceased was often depicted full-length, in a praying position (orans). Devotional stelae were also placed inside a church or shrine, with images of the Virgin and Child, or saints.
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LOT 0028
Romano-Egyptian Limestone Funerary Niche
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,000 (EUR 1,160; USD 1,350) +BP*
-
Egyptian Miniature Alabaster Jar
New Kingdom, 1550-1295 B.C.Estimate: £30 - 40 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Miniature alabsatron with ovoid body and flared rim to the mouth; collector's inked number '1' inside mouth; rim chipped. 22 grams, 41 mm
From the collection of David Donlan (1947–2025), a dedicated and lifelong collector with a passion for the ancient world and the natural sciences, forming his collection from 1960s onwards, using many reputable dealers across the United Kingdom, including the well-regarded Coincraft and The Parthenon Gallery. -
Egyptian Bronze Osiris Figure
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £15
Modelled in the half-round in a standing pose, wearing the atef crown with flanking ostrich plumes and frontal uraeus; holding the crook (heka) and flail (nekhakha) regalia in his hands arranged knuckle to knuckle; lower legs absent. 12.7 grams, 60 mm
From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s. -
Phoenician Green Stone Scarab with Man Fighting Lion
5th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £60
Modelled with incised detailing, pierced longitudinally, the underside with a bearded king in Assyrian attire, wearing a long, striated garment and tall headdress, grasping the forelegs of a rearing lion, its head turned back, a star above. 2.63 grams, 18 mm
Private collection, 1990s-early 2000s.
The motif of the Egyptian king overcoming an enemy, whether human or animal, is well attested in the New Kingdom and was later adopted by non-Egyptian artisans for scarabs and seals.
