Small Wonders: Early Gems and Jewels
Small Wonders: Early Gems and Jewels
Property from a Swiss Private Collection
A Group of Egyptian Faience Beads and Amulets, New Kingdom to Ptolemaic Period, 1539-30 B.C.
Lot Closed
December 16, 01:03 PM GMT
Estimate
800 - 1,200 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Swiss Private Collection
A Group of Egyptian Faience Beads and Amulets
New Kingdom to Ptolemaic Period, 1539-30 B.C.
Including, three faience bichrome ball beads, New Kingdom, 1539-1075 B.C.; a baboon amulet, Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C., a hedgehog amulet, Middle Kingdom, 12th/13th Dynasty, 1938-1630 B.C. or New Kingdom, 1539-1075 B.C.; and a quadruped amulet, New Kingdom, 1539-1075 B.C.
Ball beads: 4 cm long; baboon: 3.9 cm high; hedgehog: 1.9 cm. long; quadruped: 2 cm. long
thence by descent
For a similar "ball bead" in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York see, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/546895?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=faience+ball+beads&offset=20&rpp=20&pos=22.
The baboon amulet is likely a representation of the Egyptian god Thoth, the god of scribes/writing, science and knowledge. He is other times depicted as an Ibis (bird). The hedgehog amulet is associated with Egyptian concept of rebirth, as hedgehogs retreated underground during periods of famine, and only re-emerged when food was plentiful again. The quadruped likely represents the Egyptian goddess of the sky, Nut, in the form of a sow.