Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Faience Necklace composed of genuine Egyptian faience beads from the Middle and  More »

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1900 BC to 1300 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Faience Necklace composed of genuine Egyptian faience beads from the Middle and new Kingdoms.Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period.According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (SB.0943)   « 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.2470)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1580 BC to 1085 BC Dimensions: 5.75" (14.6cm) high Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Granite This marvelous Egyptian  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1580 BC to 1085 BC Dimensions: 5.75" (14.6cm) high Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Granite This marvelous Egyptian granite head dates from the Golden Age of the New Kingdom. Originally, the bust would have been attached to a larger, complete body; although this has been lost to us. What does survive, however, is a gorgeous rendering of a smiling, youthful man. He wears a cloth, striped nemes wig, the same type that was immortalized in the famous tomb sculptures of Tutankhamen. The wig is indicative of the pharaohs and was often used in art to indicate social status. A rearing uraeus cobra decorates the front of the headdress. The facial features of the man have been rendered with an idealization typical of Egyptian art. His eyes are wide open and he smiles sweetly, as if greeting the gods in the great beyond. Such a work originally may have been entered alongside the deceased in order to welcome him into the afterlife. It is also possible that it may have decorated a temple of royal palace. The New Kingdom was a veritable Renaissance of Egyptian culture during which some of the most famous monuments of this ancient civilization were created. This magnificent granite bust symbolizes the beauty and refinement of Egyptian art as a whole. - (PF.0160)   « Less

This sturdy, simple vessel may once have held an offering of food or grain. 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 food or grain. 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 ate from 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.2919)   « Less

Throughout antiquity, the ostrich was esteemed as a noble bird, prized for its size, its speed, its feathers and its eggs. The pharaohs of Egypt are depicted hunting the  More »

Throughout antiquity, the ostrich was esteemed as a noble bird, prized for its size, its speed, its feathers and its eggs. The pharaohs of Egypt are depicted hunting the ostrich, and fans made from the tail feathers have been valued because of their unusual size and perfect shape. In the Biblical era, the rare eggs were something turned into offering vessels or lamps for sacred shrines. Who gave this gift to some unknown god, hoping to win the favor of the deity? This graceful object acts like a key to the past, opening the doors of the imagination. - (P.3313)   « 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.4226)   « 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.4231)   « Less

Thousands of years ago, this vessel might have held food, oil or wine, or perhaps an offering at a temple. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we  More »

Thousands of years ago, this vessel might have held food, oil or wine, or perhaps an offering at a temple. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (PF.1558)   « Less

Thousands of years ago, this vessel might have held food, oil, wine, or perhaps an offering at a temple. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are  More »

Thousands of years ago, this vessel might have held food, oil, wine, or perhaps an offering at a temple. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (PF.1587)   « Less

At the very dawn of the Biblical era, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. Perhaps it was left as a votive at the shrine of a powerful deity. As  More »

At the very dawn of the Biblical era, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. Perhaps it was left as a votive at the shrine of a powerful deity. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a wondrous journey of discovery. - (PF.1813)   « Less