Origin: Egpyt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 22.25" (56.5cm) high x 27.20" (69.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art A late 4th/Early 5th Century AD  More »

Origin: Egpyt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 22.25" (56.5cm) high x 27.20" (69.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art A late 4th/Early 5th Century AD Coptic Textile panel in tapestry weave, with warp of natural linen and weft of various shades of brown, green, purple, red, and deep blue, the central element depicting the bust of a youth wearing a garment passing over his left shoulder and holding a duck in his arms, the border made in the early 20th Century of several disconnected Coptic textile medallions, probably from the same hanging as the figure, containing leafage and running lions and dogs. - (SP.111)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 100 BC to 200 AD Collection: Incantation Lead Scroll Style: Magical Text Medium: Lead Condition: Very Fine ‘Remain like stones, unmoving,  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 100 BC to 200 AD Collection: Incantation Lead Scroll Style: Magical Text Medium: Lead Condition: Very Fine ‘Remain like stones, unmoving, un-running’: another Greek spell against competitors in a foot-race* The magical tablet published here is a rectangle with rounded corners, 78 by 118 mm, cut from sheet lead c. 0.5 mm thick, one face of which has been inscribed with a very fine point. Slight corrugation and differential corrosion on the back suggest that it was originally rolled or folded, but the surface has not been stressed or cracked. It is complete except for the upper right-hand corner, about one-third of the right- hand edge with associated holes, a nick in the bottom, and two nicks in the left-hand edge. The resulting loss of text is quite small, and most of it can be restored. The upper two-thirds of the inscribed surface has been obscured by slight oxidation and corrosion products, but not so as to make the writing illegible. Overall this is well-preserved, and there are few difficulties. It consists of 33 lines of minute but well-formed Greek letters c. 2 mm high, which can be dated to the 4th century AD. This inscribed text is an elaborate binding spell repeated with variations four times, with intervening sequences of magical words (voces magicae). It is directed against three named athletes, Antiokhos, Hierax and Kastor, evidently runners, whose feet, sinews and other attributes are ‘bound’ so as to ensure their failure ‘in the stadium’. The tablet is said to have been found in Egypt, a provenance supported by its affinity with a lead tablet from Oxyrhynchus, ‘the only known applied spell of Egyptian provenance directed against athletes’. It is confirmed by the Egyptian names of the mothers of all three athletes.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 650 BC to 550 BC Dimensions: 54" (137.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Sarcophagus Fragment Medium: Wood Condition: Fine Isis is a  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 650 BC to 550 BC Dimensions: 54" (137.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Sarcophagus Fragment Medium: Wood Condition: Fine Isis is a goddess in Egyptian mythology. She was most prominent mythologically as the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, and was worshipped as the archetypical wife and mother. Her name literally means (female) of throne, i.e. Queen of the throne, which was portrayed by the emblem worn on her head, that of a throne. However, the hieroglyph of her name originally meant (female) of flesh, i.e. mortal, and she may simply have represented deified, historical queens. Her origins are uncertain but are believed to have come from the Nile Delta; however, unlike other Egyptian deities, she did not have a centralised cult at any point throughout her worship. First mentions of Isis date back to the Fifth dynasty of Egypt which is when the first literary inscriptions are found, but her cult became prominent late in Egyptian history, when it began to absorb the cults of many other goddesses. It eventually spread outside Egypt throughout the Middle East and Europe, with temples dedicated to her built as far away as the British Isles. Pockets of her worship remained in Christian Europe as late as the 6th century. - (FF.666)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1.375" (3.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiqauities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Glass Perhaps no  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1.375" (3.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiqauities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Glass 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. The two hoes clutched in the hands 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 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 as a substitute. Many have been 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. This particular ushabti, formed from a dark colored glass, is particularly rare, both in regards to the material and its hue. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (X.0066)   « Less

Circa: 1196 BC to 1070 BC Dimensions: 3.125" (7.9cm) wide Collection: New Kingdom Style: Dynasty XX Condition: Fine The beetle well-detailed with hatching on the legs  More »

Circa: 1196 BC to 1070 BC Dimensions: 3.125" (7.9cm) wide Collection: New Kingdom Style: Dynasty XX Condition: Fine The beetle well-detailed with hatching on the legs and fine incision for the wing case, the human head with a square chin, triangular nose and large spiraling ears, the eyes and brows deeply drilled for now-missing inlays, perforated below the ears for suspension, the underside inscribed with eleven lines of text, partly in heiroglyphs, partly in hieratic, with a form of chapter 30 from "The Book of the Dead", reading: 1) "O hut(?)-asha, 2)My heart of my mother (twice), My Heart 3)...do not stand up against me as a witness...4)[before] the lords of offerings, do not me, that he may make(?)...5)...against me, do not bring into being the ones who do things, do not...(or, in...) 6) (twice). Hail to you (O) Heart! Hail to you (O) gods 7)...who are at the head of the Long-Tressed Ones, sacred...8)...on the Dam-scepters. Recount ye my goodness to Re, 9) command ye me toheb-kau.Now I...10)...there/therein, without(?) allowing putrefaction to endure, that [I] may not 11)...things/offerings(?), thatmay live there/therein" - (DC.014)   « Less

Middle-New Kingdom Terracotta Vessel in the Form of a Fish - LO.1311 Origin: Egypt Circa: 2300 BC to 1300 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium:  More »

Middle-New Kingdom Terracotta Vessel in the Form of a Fish - LO.1311 Origin: Egypt Circa: 2300 BC to 1300 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Terracotta Condition: Very Fine   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1 st Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 4.50" (11.4cm) high x 7.25" (18.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Roman  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1 st Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 4.50" (11.4cm) high x 7.25" (18.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Roman Period Medium: Faience Condition: Very Fine   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 750 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 13.25" (33.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Period Medium: Wood Condition: Extra Fine The  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 750 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 13.25" (33.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Period Medium: Wood Condition: Extra Fine The immensely complex systematics of ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife are embodied in this attractive wooden polychrome piece. According to the hieroglyphics, the sculpture is dedicated to a god who went through two major incarnations between the early Old Kingdom and the birth of the New Kingdom. Starting as Seker – literally “cleaning of the mouth” after an ancient rite following decease – his role was to divorce the body from the soul following death, and to ensure the movement of the deceased’s spirit to the hereafter. At this point, he was depicted as possessing avian characteristics, due to the popular conception that the Ba (soul) was prone to fly confusedly above the Ba (body) after death. He lent his name to the necropolis outside Memphis (Saqqara), and was revered throughout this area and ancient Thebes where there was an annual festival in his honour. Despite his somewhat funereal reputation, he became – through an accidental alliteration of his name (ie. “the decorated one”) the patron god of metalworkers and jewellers. This saw him become allied to Ptah (the god of craft workers), thus being Ptah-Seker for the remainder of the Old Kingdom. In the New Kingdom, however, he was promoted to a higher status – that of Osiris, the god of death. Thus glorified as Ptah-Seker- Osiris, he occupied numerous social and funerary roles, and was worshipped in many different ways for different reasons.   « Less

Created during the age of David and Solomon, this simple but charming vessel glows with the rich patina of history. Who can say through whose hands it might have passed  More »

Created during the age of David and Solomon, this simple but charming vessel glows with the rich patina of history. Who can say through whose hands it might have passed centuries ago? It was perhaps from such a jug that Solomon annointed Saul king of Israel. Whatever its past, we are aware that is was crafted by ancient hands, held and used by people who lived in a time and place much different from our own. The energy of those vanished lives clings to it still and sets our imaginations stirring. - (P.2774)   « Less

Origin: Sinai Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 6.75" (17.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Kingdom Condition: Extra Fine Representations of fertility and  More »

Origin: Sinai Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 6.75" (17.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Kingdom Condition: Extra Fine Representations of fertility and motherhood are found across the ancient civilizations and stand as a testament to the universality of human nature. The ancient Egyptian goddess Thoeris (Tawaret), or “the great [female] one”, embodies these physical attributes of fertility with her pregnant belly and her pendulous breasts. Commonly interpreted in the form of a hippopotamus, the goddess is depicted wearing a female headdress like that of the goddess Hathor. Upon closer examination, one sees that this figure is a configuration of fierce animals that are known to be overly protective of their young: the lion, the crocodile and the hippo. The protective function is highlighted both by the grimacing open- mouth pose and the hieroglyph “sa”, meaning protection, that rests under Tawaret’s paws. It is no wonder that such a powerful protective force was a popular household deity represented as far back as the Old Kingdom. - (GDC.002)   « Less