Origin: Egypt Circa: 336 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 10.5 " (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Ptolemaic Medium: Wood This pierced rectangular panel depicts a seated  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 336 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 10.5 " (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Ptolemaic Medium: Wood This pierced rectangular panel depicts a seated ibis with its sickle-shaped beak resting on the head of a kneeling male figure. The figure wears a frontal uraeus, a stylised cobra that symbolised royalty, divinity or authority in ancient Egypt. Naked to the waist, he wears a short tunic and holds one arm out in supplication. The ibis was considered a sacred bird and associated with wisdom and purity. Thoth, the god of writing, wisdom and the moon, was often depicted with a human body and ibis head. In the late period ibises were frequently embalmed and interred in tombs in earthenware jugs. It was believed that they would provide instruction and protection during the last journey. This panel may well have come from an item of furniture placed in a prestigious tomb, such as a funerary bed or ceremonial chair. In its original state it would have been painted and gilded, but it continues to impress us with its elegant design. (AM) - (SK.023)   « Less

Ptolemaic Glass Inlay of a Skirt - CK.0213 Origin: Egypt Circa: 380 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 1" (2.5cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium:  More »

Ptolemaic Glass Inlay of a Skirt - CK.0213 Origin: Egypt Circa: 380 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 1" (2.5cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Glass   « Less

Ptolemaic Painted Wooden Funerary Mask - CK.0285 Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century BC to 1 st Century BC Dimensions: 15" (38.1cm) high x 10.25" (26.0cm) wide Collection:  More »

Ptolemaic Painted Wooden Funerary Mask - CK.0285 Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century BC to 1 st Century BC Dimensions: 15" (38.1cm) high x 10.25" (26.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Ptolemaic Medium: Painted Wood   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 200 BC to 200 AD Dimensions: 2.5" (6.4cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Terracotta Since the dawn of  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 200 BC to 200 AD Dimensions: 2.5" (6.4cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Terracotta Since the dawn of time, man has offered votives to win the benign favor of his gods. Sometimes these were perishable gifts of food, or wine, or livestock. At other times they were figures of stone, metal, or clay--votives of a more enduring nature. The art of the sculpted clay votive reached its peak in the Hellenistic age, when the artistic influence of Classical Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and Near East. In and around Alexandria--where the Olympian gods were mixed freely with those of ancient Egypt--the temples were filled to overflowing with lively depictions of deities, royalty, and ordinary folk. As gifts to the gods, these could not be destroyed, so periodically the votives were buried in pits to make room for new offerings. When we look upon their features today--sometimes agelessly beautiful, divine, regal or aloof, sometimes comic or infinitely wise--we come face to face with the human past. - (P.1061)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 100 AD to 300 AD Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Terracotta Over many centuries, the ancient culture of Egypt was exposed to many  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 100 AD to 300 AD Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Terracotta Over many centuries, the ancient culture of Egypt was exposed to many new influences, producing a fascination mix of beliefs and customs. This stunning little piece blends the age-old Egyptian desire to placate the forces of nature with the Greco-Roman traditions in art and religion. We do not doubt that we are dealing with primal, earthly powers here--very likely the crocodile god--but they have been tempered with a humanist view of the cosmos. - (PF.0143)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 200 AD to 500 AD Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 11" (27.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Textile A remarkable souvenir  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 200 AD to 500 AD Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 11" (27.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Textile A remarkable souvenir from the sunset of the pagan world. This beautiful weaving once served as the yoke collar for a tunic. It depicts Venus, the goddess of love, admiring her naked beauty in a hand mirror while her dancing worshipers bring her gifts of birds. Its original bright colors have faded with time, but the lively style evokes the age when Rome ruled the world. The woman who wore it in antiquity must have been very lovely indeed to risk comparison to a goddess. - (PF.0352a)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 12.25" (31.1cm) high x 6" (15.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Additional Information: N.B.: The  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 12.25" (31.1cm) high x 6" (15.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Additional Information: N.B.: The Surface is Consolidated in Places with Deep Vertical Fissures. These is also Damage Present Above the Right and Left Eyebrows and the Hair Above. Although commonly referred to as “Faiyum portraits,” mummy portraits from Roman Egypt have been found throughout the country, from the Mediterranean coast to the banks of the Nile Valley; however, many of the most celebrated works come from cemeteries in the desert oasis of Faiyum. These fascinating paintings are the product of two worlds, combining Egyptian funerary beliefs with the sophisticated portraiture of the Greco-Roman tradition. The preservation of the physical remains of the deceased was a central focus of Egyptian funerary customs, eventually leading to the creation of mummies. However, mere preservation of the corpse was not sufficient, the mummy itself had to appear alive. Elaborate coffins and funerary masks evolved to present the remains with the appearance of vitality. Although mummification was still practiced during the Roman Period, the techniques had begun to devolve and many of these mummies have since decayed, leaving behind only these haunting portraits. While the painting technique of Faiyum portraits is unmistakably Roman, their presence on or near the remains of the deceased is an Egyptian custom, representing a fusion of technique and belief. The people portrayed were likely the administrative elite and their families who ruled over this multiethnic, multicultural frontier of the Roman Empire. No doubt they held faith in the Ancient Egyptian cults, as evident by their focus on preparing for the afterlife; but they also chose to depict themselves as Romans, wearing customary Roman fashions and jewelry. The heightened realism of the portraits was made possible by the relative fluidity of the encaustic technique where pigments were mixed with hot or cold beeswax as well as other ingredients, producing a medium that is very similar to oil paint. This striking portrait of a young woman was painted in the encaustic technique on limewood. She is represented in three-quarters view with her hair styled high on top of her head. She wears two beaded necklaces that partially hang over her light blue tunic. Who was this young woman? While we can only guess her identity and place in life, portraits such as this one offer one of the few opportunities we have to stare face to face with a citizen of Ancient Egypt. - (X.0124)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 7.75" (19.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Stucco This gorgeous plaster  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 7.75" (19.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Stucco This gorgeous plaster funerary mask reveals that the traditional Egyptian arts continued to flourish even under Roman rule. In fact, the Egyptian style was reinvigorated with a healthy dose of Roman classicism that elegantly merges with the stylized traditions of Egypt. Here, a woman has been depicted with curly hair, solemn features, and a tight-lipped expression. Overall, her physiognomy is typical of the multiethnic population of Roman Period Egypt. Her skin has been painted a soft white hue, while her hair and eyebrows have been painted black. Remnants of red hue are visible on her lips. Her eyes and lashes have been detailed in black paint. Most of these life-size masks were made for Greek and Roman merchants and administrators who settled in Egypt. They generally show some attempts at portraying an individual, but with conventionalized features. These heads were made separately in molds, with gender-specific details added subsequently, and attached to the mummy case or cartonnage so that they are half raised up off the surface, as if the deceased was just awaking in his new afterlife. The masks were usually painted with realistic colors and some were even gilt. Looking into this mask is like looking into a mirror. It is easy to see ourselves inside this carefully modeled face. We wonder if her life, if her cares and concerns, were really that different than our own? - (X.0440)   « Less

Origin: Fayum Circa: 1 st Century BC to 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 9" (22.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman period Medium: Plaster This beautiful plaster  More »

Origin: Fayum Circa: 1 st Century BC to 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 9" (22.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman period Medium: Plaster This beautiful plaster mask comes from the Fayum Region of Egypt during the Roman Period, approximately 1st to 2nd century AD. It was created from an impression of a person’s face and used for funerary purposes. The Egyptians took extraordinary care in the handling of their dead and their funerary customs demonstrated the great respect the Egyptians held for the realm of the afterlife. Portraits such as this three-dimensional one, and the famous two-dimensional Fayum encaustic portraits, were often crafted during the person’s life to portray them at the pinnacle of verve and vivacity, and were then buried with their mummy after the person’s passing. These have often been discovered in communal burial contexts. The stylization of this piece bears the marks of Roman influence, particularly in the hairstyle, barely visible at the brow, and the formation of the lips. The eyes are depicted as blackened with kohl, a traditional Egyptian cosmetic custom, and the individual wears the traditional Egyptian headdress. The individual also has the slightest hint of a mustache, perhaps in expression of local Egyptian styles rather than Roman ones. The overall appearance of the item bears witness to the syncretistic styles of the Romano-Egyptian period. Judging by the great care that is put into this piece, as well as its imitation of early imperial styles of portraiture, the person was likely of noble extraction, perhaps from the Roman aristocracy that ruled Egypt during this period. - (SP.523)   « Less

Origin: Alexandria, Egypt Circa: 300 AD to 600 AD Dimensions: 1" (2.5cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Gnostic Medium: Serpentine Condition:  More »

Origin: Alexandria, Egypt Circa: 300 AD to 600 AD Dimensions: 1" (2.5cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Gnostic Medium: Serpentine Condition: Very Fine Gnosticism (from Greek gnosis, knowledge) refers to a diverse, syncretistic religious movement consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect spirit, the demiurge, who is frequently identified with the Abrahamic God. The demiurge, who is often depicted as an embodiment of evil, at other times as simply imperfect and as benevolent as its inadequacy allows, exists alongside another remote and unknowable supreme being that embodies good. In order to free oneself from the inferior material world, one needs gnosis, or esoteric spiritual knowledge available only to a learned elite. Jesus of Nazareth is identified by some (though not all) Gnostic sects as an embodiment of the supreme being who became incarnate to bring gnosis to the Earth. Gnosticism was popular in the Mediterranean and middle eastern regions in the first centuries of the common era, but it was suppressed[citation needed] as a dualistic heresy in areas controlled by the Roman Empire when Christianity became its official religion in the fourth century. Conversion to Islam greatly reduced the remaining number of Gnostics throughout the middle ages, though a few isolated communities continue to exist to the present. - (FJ.1543)   « Less