Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Dimensions: 5.25" (13.3cm) high x 5.125" (13.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile For  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Dimensions: 5.25" (13.3cm) high x 5.125" (13.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile For centuries, the native weavers of Egypt were famous for the richness of their work. Using intricate patterns and vivid colors, Coptic weavers created masterpieces of textile art. Coptic textiles, used for rugs, wall hangings and clothing appliques, were exported throughout the Roman and Byzantine empires. However, the finest surviving examples come from Egypt itself, where a dry climate has preserved the delicate fabric. Intimate in scale yet monumental in vision, these woven pictures speak of a world alive with color and movement. This lovely textile, which once adorned a tunic, depicts a stylized fruit tree flanked by two graceful birds. In the arid desert world of Egypt, such a tree represented a cool oasis, a paradise. This might be a variation on the "Tree of Life" theme, or possibly a representation of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Worked in rich reds and greens, it puts us in intimate touch with a vanished world. - (PF.2109)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile Additional Information: Sold For centuries, the native  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile Additional Information: Sold For centuries, the native weavers of Egypt were famous for the richness of their work. Using intricate patterns and vivid colors, Coptic weavers created masterpieces of textile art. Coptic textiles, used for rugs, wall hangings and clothing appliques, were exported throughout the Roman and Byzantine empires. However, the finest surviving examples come from Egypt itself, where a dry climate has preserved the delicate fabric. Intimate in scale yet monumental in vision, these woven pictures speak of a world alive with color and movement. This abstract clothing applique, with a green field boldly outlined in black, depicts the tree of life, age-old symbol of joy and happiness. This vigorous motif has recurred in art since earliest antiquity. We assume that the individual who wore it long ago shared our joy in life's simple pleasures. - (PF.2110)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 5.125" (13.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile For  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 5.125" (13.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile For centuries, the native weavers of Egypt were famous for the richness of their work. Using intricate patterns and vivid colors, Coptic weavers created masterpieces of textile art. Coptic textiles, used for rugs, wall hangings and clothing appliques, were exported throughout the Roman and Byzantine empires. However, the finest surviving examples come from Egypt itself, where a dry climate has preserved the delicate fabric. Intimate in scale yet monumental in vision, these woven pictures speak of a world alive with color and movement. This pear- shaped applique was worked with a brilliant red palette. It depicts an abstract flowering plant. The person who first wore it must have had a great love of bold color and patterns. Knowing nothing else about that individual, we nonetheless feel we have touched upon their world in an intimate way. - (PF.2113)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 4" (10.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile For  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 7 th Century AD Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 4" (10.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile For centuries, the native weavers of Egypt were famous for the richness of their work. Using intricate patterns and vivid colors, Coptic weavers created masterpieces of textile art. Coptic textiles, used for rugs, wall hangings and clothing appliques, were exported throughout the Roman and Byzantine empires. However, the finest surviving examples come from Egypt itself, where a dry climate has preserved the delicate fabric. Intimate in scale yet monumental in vision, these woven pictures speak of a world alive with color and movement. This exquisite clothing applique, worked in red, white, green, olive and black, depicts the Tree of Life, one of the oldest and most popular images in the Middle East. Then as now, this abstract tree represents the joy of life. In the modern world, we share our pleasure with whoever wore it centuries ago. - (PF.2117)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6.75" (17.1cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Additional  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6.75" (17.1cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Additional Information: SOLD Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the two hoes clutched in the hands and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The world ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answerer". The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: "O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here." The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and these instructions were frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in any given tomb, but by the New Kingdom the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased rather than as a substitute. Many might be found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVIth Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience the color of the Nile, evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.2223)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 5.75" (14.6cm) high Catalogue: V6 Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Alabaster Additional Information:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 5.75" (14.6cm) high Catalogue: V6 Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Alabaster Additional Information: SOLD Created from a single block of exquisite banded alabaster with paper-thin, translucent walls, our lentoid-shaped vessel belongs to a classification of flasks which were extremely popular during the course of the New Kingdom. Inscribed examples in faience of a slightly later date indicate that these vessels were used to collect water from the Nile River during the initial rise of its waters caused by the annual inundation which occurred in late summer. That collected water was then used in rituals celebrating the ancient Egyptian New Year which annually coincided with this rise of the Nile. Excavated examples in the collections of the Petrie Museum of Archaeology at University College London are similar to our example in their profile and in the design of their neck and lip [inventory numbers 4161 and 41619]. Our example, however, appears to be unique within this repertoire because it is designed with straps, created in imitation of a leather slings, which cradle it on both sides. As such it represents one of the finest examples of this type presently known. References: Museum of Fine Arts, Egypt’s Golden Age: The Art of Living in the New Kingdom (Boston 1982), page 83, no. 82, for an example in pottery; and Robert Steven Bianchi, in F. D. Friedman [editor], Gifts of the Nile. Ancient Egyptian Faience (Providence 1998), nos. 126-127, for later examples in faience.- (PF.2309)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 100 AD to 200 AD Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Terracotta Additional Information:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 100 AD to 200 AD Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Terracotta Additional Information: Sold Thoth was the Egyptian lord of wisdom and sacred writings. He was the moon and the messenger of the gods and, as such, was equated by the Greeks with Hermes. He was worshiped in the form of an ibis, a man with the head of an ibis, or as a baboon, as seen in this terra-cotta sculpture. Thoth's consort was the goddess Maat, the daughter of the sun god Re. She was the goddess of truth, justice and social and cosmic order. Thoth actualized this order when he daily wrote the word Maat, which means "divine order", for the god Re. Hence Thoth, scribe of the gods, and Maat were often shown together in the boat of the sun god. Thoth had several roles, each associated with a different myth and reflected in the various forms in which he is represented. One of his portrayals was that of a baboon because the ancient Egyptians observed that the rising sun was greeted each morning by baboons, their loud early dawn shrieking heard for miles. This sculpture of a baboon's head evokes images of these long lost beliefs, its powerful spirit belying the small size of the terracotta image. With a bit of imagination we can almost hear the early morning incantations of the ancient baboons as they reverently greet the age-old golden orb. - (PF.2390)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 1.875" (4.8cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Additional  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 1.875" (4.8cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Additional Information: Sold It is not uncommon for local gods to have been organized into family groups of three consisting of a mother, father, and a child. In Thebes, a city that gained a special prominence during the middle and new kingdoms, the local god, Amun, went from relative obscurity (before the middle kingdom) to the focus of a national cult. Subsequently, the other members of the Theban triad, his wife Mut (who, in some cases, seems to have supplanted Amun's more ancient consort Amaunet), and their son Khonsu also became a focus of national worship in Egypt. This stele-shaped black and blue faience amulet depicts the Theban triad. Amun, wearing his distinctive double-plumed headdress, is situated to the far right of the amulet. In one of his hands, he holds the "waset" scepter of Thebes. In his other hand he appears to be holding an attribute that may be an ankh or a situla. The figure of Mut follows with a similar attribute in one hand, while she holds an ankh or flower to her nose with her other hand. At the left is Khonsu, who is depicted in mummiform with a child's side-lock. He, too, holds the "waset" scepter and other attributes. The amulet is topped with what appears to be the head of the popular household god Bes. This feature is set apart from the rest of the amulet by its black color. This amulet may have been worn or carried by someone seeking the blessings or protection of this powerful family of gods. - (PF.2953)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 1.5" (3.8cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Additional  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BC Dimensions: 1.5" (3.8cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Additional Information: Sold Bes was one of the most popular gods in the Egyptian pantheon. He was a popular subject for amulets and appears to have been widely worshipped as a household deity. Part of his appeal appears to have been the perception that he was more accessible and willing to listen to the prayers and supplication of the common man than were the somewhat intimidating state gods such as Amun, Osiris, and Horus. Bes was believed to be a patron god of music and art as well as a protector of pregnant women. He was also held to be a god of war. Bes is usually depicted as a dwarf with a face that has the characteristics of both lion and man. Greco-Roman images of the god, however, frequently show him as a more heroic figure brandishing a sword while on horseback. This light green faience amulet depicts the head of the god Bes with his distinctive leonine facial features, heavy mane-like beard, and protruding tongue. His ears are rather square-shaped, and his head is crowned by a headdress with eight stylized plumes that fan out from his head in an inverted triangular shape. This amulet was probably worn or carried by someone who wished to invoke the protective power of the benevolent god. - (PF.2981)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1070 BC Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Additional  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1070 BC Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Additional Information: Sold Taueret was an important member of the Egyptian pantheon. She was worshipped on a national level as well as being a widely venerated popular goddess. She was believed to be the protectress of pregnant women, and the Egyptian book of the dead refers to her as a deity who protects the souls of the deceased. This amulet depicts the goddess in her form as a hippopotamus with anthropomorphic attributes. She stands on her hind legs with her long hair falling down her back, terminating in a thick braid. She appears naked with her pendulous human breasts hanging above her rotund belly (her name means "large one"). In Egyptian mythology, she is sometimes considered to be the consort of the god set, who is frequently depicted as a hippopotamus. She is also associated with the goddess Hathor, and is occasionally depicted wearing her horned-disk headdress. Her affable appearance reflects her role as a helpful protective goddess, which probably explains her immense appeal to the Ancient Egyptians as well as to us. - (PF.2985)   « Less