Centuries ago, this delightful vessel perhaps contained precious oil or rare perfume. Once suspended from a cord, it was perhaps among the prized possessions of an ancient  More »

Centuries ago, this delightful vessel perhaps contained precious oil or rare perfume. Once suspended from a cord, it was perhaps among the prized possessions of an ancient beauty, who adorned herself with its fragrant contents. If we hold it to our nose, our imaginations can perhaps capture the delicate scent of flowers that bloomed long ago... - (P.0182)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 400 AD to 600 AD Dimensions: 13.25" (33.7cm) high x 6.25 " (15.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Wood, Ivory This piece may be  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 400 AD to 600 AD Dimensions: 13.25" (33.7cm) high x 6.25 " (15.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Wood, Ivory This piece may be one of the earliest recorded representations of St Peter, and as such is of global importance in both religious and art- historical terms. The figure is rendered in low relief on a wooden panel just over a foot high, and is framed by a raised border decorated with ivory trim and quadrangular motifs decorated with five dots each. The apex of the panel is decorated with a fretwork ivory arch, containing floral decoration, a pair of ornate Coptic crosses in circles, and a pair of fish facing one another. The figure is ‘standing’ on what is evidently intended to be a plinth, containing a small Coptic inscription written on an ivory panel, a pair of small Coptic crosses, and a pair of birds facing towards the centre. The iconography is unmistakably Christian, as the doves and the fish have strong biblical associations with Christ and Christianity. The figure itself is in wood, with head, hands and feet rendered in ivory. His accessories – a staff, a cross and a halo – are also made from ivory strips. As befits his status, he is dressed in a plain, long tunic that reaches to the feet, decorated frontally with 6 small crosses made from incised dots. The cuffs of each sleeve are also decorated with incised dots, and the texture of the fabric has been rendered in great detail with every fold and wrinkle in position. The head is made from a single block of ivory, showing a bearded face with hair cut to below the ears, a long, aquiline nose and a small mouth. The pose of the figure and the facial expression suggest stoic serenity.   « Less

he functional simplicity of this vessel lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to ancient ones. Even after the passage of  More »

he functional simplicity of this vessel lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to ancient ones. Even after the passage of millennia, the design of such a pot could hardly be improved upon. What did it once contain, we wonder, and who poured from its spout and drank? Did those ancient people stop, as we do, to admire the grace of the vessel as they held it in their hands? We feel in its presence a direct bond with those long-forgotten individuals. - (P.0374)   « Less

This sturdy, simple vessel may once have held an offering of wine or oil. To the vanished age that created it, it was perhaps an unremarkable vessel, notable more for its  More »

This sturdy, simple vessel may once have held an offering of wine or oil. To the vanished age that created it, it was perhaps an unremarkable vessel, notable more for its contents than its beauty. Yet, the passage of time has graced it with qualities it did not originally possess: it serves as a bridge to the past. We wonder whose hands crafted it, whose once grasped its handle and poured out its contents? As our fingers rest where theirs did so long ago, we recognize that the jug radiates still with the energetic glow of those ancient lives. - (P.2347)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 0.625" (1.6cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Third Intermediate Period, Dyn. XXI The ancient Egyptians maintained that the sun  More »

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 0.625" (1.6cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Third Intermediate Period, Dyn. XXI The ancient Egyptians maintained that the sun was propelled across the heavens by means of a scarab, or sacred beetle. With the passing of time, the Egyptians created a series of amulets in the form of this beetle in a great variety of materials, and these were routinely provided with inscriptions in hieroglyphs conveniently accommodated to their stylized flat bottoms. Our scarab is just such a variation. Its top is designed in the classic manner in which the component elements of its head, plate, and clypeus are carefully articulated, although the thorax and elytra, or wing case, are treated as a single unit.   « Less

Egyptian Faience Wadj Amulet - PF.8043 Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience

Egyptian Faience Wadj Amulet - PF.8043 Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience   « Less

Origin: Sinai Circa: 650 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 10.5" (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Sandstone Condition: Extra  More »

Origin: Sinai Circa: 650 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 10.5" (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Sandstone Condition: Extra Fine This arresting sandstone sculpture of an obese homunculus is in fact a Late Dynastic period representation of the god Bes (or Bisu). He is shown in traditional, and even somewhat exaggerated style, standing full square with his right arm raised and his left gripping the neck of a snake. His face is positively demonic, with pouchy cheeks, protuberant eyes, a snub nose and a host of accessory features that lends him an appearance that stands alone in the Egyptian pantheon. Bes is a domestic god, who eventually moved on from the protection of houses, women, children and general domesticity to being the embodiment of good and the enemy of evil. He is usually shown in his role as a protector, strangling snakes (cats performed a similar function, and his name springs from the Nubian word for cat [besa]) and often surrounded by women or children. His origin is uncertain, although earlier research claiming a Nubian ancestry have been repudiated by later work indicating that he is in fact a product of Old/Middle Kingdom Egyptian culture. His cult, however, did not rise to prominence until well into the New Kingdom and the Late Period. Recent research indicates that his original representation was that of a lion rearing up on its hind legs, which partly explains his peculiar appearance.   « Less

The functional simplicity of this vessel lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to ancient ones. Even after the passage of  More »

The functional simplicity of this vessel lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to ancient ones. Even after the passage of millennia, the design of such a pot could hardly be improved upon. What did it once contain, we wonder, and who poured from its spout and drank? Did those ancient people stop, as we do, to admire the grace of the vessel as they held it in their hands? We feel in its presence a direct bond with those long-forgotten individuals. - (P.2461)   « Less

This sturdy, simple vessel may once have held an offering of wine or oil. To the vanished age that created it, it was perhaps an unremarkable vessel, notable more for its  More »

This sturdy, simple vessel may once have held an offering of wine or oil. To the vanished age that created it, it was perhaps an unremarkable vessel, notable more for its contents than its beauty. Yet, the passage of time has graced it with qualities it did not originally possess: it serves as a bridge to the past. We wonder whose hands crafted it, whose once grasped its handle and poured out its contents? As our fingers rest where theirs did so long ago, we recognize that the jug radiates still with the energetic glow of those ancient lives. - (P.2465)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2300 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 3.125" (7.9cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle/New Kingdom Medium:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2300 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 3.125" (7.9cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle/New Kingdom Medium: Hematite Though it is very ancient, the purity of line in this rare sculpture gives it a remarkably contemporary feel. With just a few simple features, the Egyptian artist has evoked the essence, the eternal spirit of a water bird (almost certainly a duck, since similar duck sculptures are known in faience). How amazing that millennia ago someone could have defined and captured the timeless qualities of nature and expressed them in a way that is as meaningful to the modern age as to the ancient one. FOUND IN SINAI - (PF.0301)   « Less