The Bronze Age was a period in the civilization's development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) consisted of techniques for  More »

The Bronze Age was a period in the civilization's development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) consisted of techniques for smelting copper and tin from naturally occurring outcroppings of ore, and then alloying those metals in order to cast bronze. The Bronze Age forms part of the three-age system for prehistoric societies. In that system, it follows the Neolithic in some areas of the world. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the Neolithic is directly followed by the Iron Age. The place and time of the invention of bronze are controversial, and it is possible that bronzing was invented independently in multiple places. The earliest known tin bronzes are from what is now Iran and Iraq and date to the late 4th millennium BC, but there are claims of an earlier appearance of tin bronze in Thailand in the 5th millennium BC. Arsenical bronzes were made in Anatolia and on both sides of the Caucasus by the early 3rd millennium BC. Some scholars date some arsenical bronze artefacts of the Maykop culture in the North Caucasus as far back as the mid 4th millennium BC, which would make them the oldest known bronzes, but others date the same Maykop artefacts to the mid 3rd millennium BC. The Bronze Age in the Near East is divided into three main periods (the dates are very approximate): • EBA - Early Bronze Age (c.3500-2000 BC) • MBA - Middle Bronze Age (c.2000-1600 BC) • LBA - Late Bronze Age (c.1600-1200 BC) Metallurgy developed first in Anatolia, modern Turkey. The mountains in the Anatolian highland possessed rich deposits of copper and tin. Copper was also mined in Cyprus, Egypt, the Negev desert, Iran and around the Persian Gulf. Copper was usually mixed with arsenic, yet the growing demand for tin resulted in the establishment of distant trade routes in and out of Anatolia. The precious copper was also imported by sea routes to the great kingdoms of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. - (FZ.140)Short Bronze Sword - FZ.140Origin: Central Asia Circa: 1500 BC to 1200 BCCollection: Near Eastern Style: Late Bronze Age Medium: Bronze   « Less

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 the Egyptian  More »

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 the Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the pick and hoes clutched in the hands, as well as the seed bag slung over his shoulder, recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means “the answerer.” The function of these little figures is described in Chapter 6 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 this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in a 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, and 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 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period (the time when this work was produced), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. Along the body of this ushabti rows of hieroglyphic text have been inscribed. Such inscriptions generally offer prayers from the deceased and reveal the ushabti’s readiness to perform labor. To look upon this ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.5968)   « Less

Height-79", Depth- 16", Width- 45 3/4", Mahogany bow front china cabinet with fluted column sides with bracket feet, lattice work door and broken arch top circa 1940s.

Height-79", Depth- 16", Width- 45 3/4", Mahogany bow front china cabinet with fluted column sides with bracket feet, lattice work door and broken arch top circa 1940s.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 9.75" (24.8cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Ushabti Medium: Faience Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 9.75" (24.8cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Ushabti Medium: Faience 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 the Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the pick and hoes clutched in the hands, as well as the seed bag slung over his shoulder, recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means “the answerer.” The function of these figures is described in Chapter 6 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 this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in a 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, and many might be found buried together, along with a larger overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal, and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period (the time when this work was produced), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. Along the body of this ushabti is inscribed ten rows of hieroglyphic text. Such inscriptions generally offer prayers from the deceased and reveal the ushabti’s readiness to perform labor. To look upon this ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself - (X.0353a)   « Less

Height- 73", Depth- 17",Width- 52", Nice deep red mahogany bow front china cabinet with rope carved base, bracket feet , floral carved columns , open glass top with Greek key  More »

Height- 73", Depth- 17",Width- 52", Nice deep red mahogany bow front china cabinet with rope carved base, bracket feet , floral carved columns , open glass top with Greek key trim across the top circa 1940s.   « Less

Origin: Sinai- Egypt Circa: 665 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5.5" (14.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Ushabtis Medium: Faience Condition: Extra Fine Perhaps no  More »

Origin: Sinai- Egypt Circa: 665 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5.5" (14.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Ushabtis Medium: Faience Condition: Extra Fine 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 word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answer". 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 this passage was 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 a substitute, and 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 and 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. - (sp.009)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience Condition: Extra Fine This striking ushabti dates to the 26th dynasty, which is notable for being the last indigenous dynasty prior to the conquest by Persia in 525-4 BC. The period was characterised by strife as the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Lydians – and even Greece and Caria – became involved in a power struggle to control Egypt, to reunify her and to resist imperial advances. Reunification was achieved under Psammetichus I, although Egyptian imperial power was not what it had been. Once Nineveh fell in 612 BC, Egypt’s attempts to reassert her dominion in the Middle East failed at the hands of the Persian king Cambyses, who took the last king – Psammetichus III – to Susa in irons. Despite these upheavals, however, Egyptian religion and funerary practice did not significantly alter. The pomp and ceremony that characterised Old Kingdom interments had been perpetuated, burying representations of assistants, animals and all the other accoutrements one might need for the hereafter with the deceased. Ushabtis are perhaps the best-known of these grave goods. Ushabti can be translated as “the answerer,” a term directly related to its function in the afterlife. Initially, only one ushabti was interred with the deceased, but by the New Kingdom, it became the custom to inter hundreds of ushabti to act as slaves, much as their human counterparts did in the real world. The number of figures, and the materials from which they were made, depended on the individual's wealth.   « Less

Height-82", Depth-13 1/2", Width-62 1/2", Very nice light mahogany breakfront secretary desk / china cabinet with individual pane glass doors , nice fitted interior and panel  More »

Height-82", Depth-13 1/2", Width-62 1/2", Very nice light mahogany breakfront secretary desk / china cabinet with individual pane glass doors , nice fitted interior and panel door sides circa 1940s.   « Less

Height-77", Depth-16", Width-60", Another mahogany breakfront secretary desk / china cabinet with open glass top , stencil painted doors , and nice fitted interior circa  More »

Height-77", Depth-16", Width-60", Another mahogany breakfront secretary desk / china cabinet with open glass top , stencil painted doors , and nice fitted interior circa 1940s.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6" (15.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience The Ushabtis were funerary  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6" (15.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience The Ushabtis were funerary figurines placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as substitutes for the deceased, should he be called upon to do the manual labor in the afterlife. They were used from the Middle Kingdom (around 1900 BC) until the end of the Ptolemaic Period, nearly 2000 years later. The ushabtis were believed to magically animate after the dead had been judged, and work for the dead person as a substitute labourer in the field of Osiris. Ushabti inscriptions often contain the 6th chapter of the Book of the Dead, translated as: “Illumine the Osiris NN, whose word is truth. Hail, Shabti Figure! If the Osiris Ani be decreed to do any of the work which is to be done in Khert-Neter, let everything which standeth in the way be removed from him-wether it to be plough the fields, or to fill the channels woth water, or to carry sand from the East to the West. The Shabti figure replieth: I will do it, verily I am here when thou callest”. Perhaps no single object can epitomize the spirit of ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. This ushabti is shaped like a divine mummy. The hands hold two hoes, and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. - (LK.007)   « Less