Egyptian Wooden Inscribed Fragment - LO.1197 Origin: Egypt Circa: 500 AD to 900 AD Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian  More »

Egyptian Wooden Inscribed Fragment - LO.1197 Origin: Egypt Circa: 500 AD to 900 AD Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Wood   « Less

Egyptian Jasper Falcon / Horus - OF.208 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 2.2" (5.6cm) high x 3.2" (8.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late  More »

Egyptian Jasper Falcon / Horus - OF.208 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 2.2" (5.6cm) high x 3.2" (8.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Clay   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 1.75 " (4.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Jasper By far the most important  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 1.75 " (4.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Jasper By far the most important amulet in ancient Egypt was the scarab, symbolically as sacred to the Egyptians as the cross is to Christians. Based upon the dung beetle, this sacred creature forms a ball of dung around its semen and rolls it in a large ball over the sand dropping it into its burrow. The female lays her eggs on the ground and covers them with the excrement ball that is consumed by the larvae that emerge in the following days as if miraculously reborn. In the life cycle of the beetle, the Ancient Egyptians envisioned a microcosm of the daily rebirth of the sun. They imagined the ancient sun god Khepri was a great scarab beetle rolling the sun across the heavens. The scarab also became a symbol of the enduring human soul as well, hence its frequent appearance in funerary art. Scarabs of various materials form an important class of Egyptian antiquities. Though they first appeared in the late Old Kingdom (roughly 2575–2130 B.C.), scarabs remained rare until Middle Kingdom times (circa 1938-1600 B.C.) when they were fashioned in great numbers. While some were used as ornaments, others were purely amuletic in purpose. - (OS.034 )   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 AD to 800 AD Dimensions: 14.125" (35.9cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile As the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 AD to 800 AD Dimensions: 14.125" (35.9cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile As the Classical age drew to a close, the flowering of Christian Egypt produced a remarkable textile art. This tunic decoration, called a clavus, depicts motifs that are both pagan and Christian, a mixing of imagery not uncommon in Late Antiquity. A saint, apostle or evangelist, his head surrounded with a nimbus, shares space with flying spirits and wild beasts. Such a colorful masterpiece of the weaver's art seems to sum up the vitality, the vivid excitement of the age that created it. - (P.4488)   « Less

Origin: Fayoum, Egypt Circa: 100 AD to 200 AD Dimensions: 9" (22.9cm) high x 5.875" (14.9cm) wide Catalogue: V4 Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Painted  More »

Origin: Fayoum, Egypt Circa: 100 AD to 200 AD Dimensions: 9" (22.9cm) high x 5.875" (14.9cm) wide Catalogue: V4 Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Painted Plaster A continuation of the Ancient Egyptian tradition of depicting the deceased in funerary art, this splendid mask displays a vivid and realistic approach to portraiture that reflects the influence of Hellenistic and Roman art. Looking upon the serene, slightly smiling face of this pretty woman who lived when Egypt was the richest province of the Roman Empire, we feel as if we know her well. We understand her desire to be remembered long after her life on earth had ended, to preserve for all eternity the unfading image of herself. In this objective, she has certainly succeeded, for in the presence of this lovely mask we cannot help but think about the ancient person for whom this is the only remaining clue. - (PF.0033)   « Less

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 2.25" (5.7cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Predynastic Medium:  More »

Origin: Sinai, Egypt Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 2.25" (5.7cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Predynastic Medium: Stone The vessel is characterized by a body which resembles a container made from the skin of an animal. Such vessels are commonly depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings of the later Ramesside Period where they appear to be made of the skins of goats. The lip is off-set from the body which is provided with two handles. The walls of the vessel are characteristically thin, contributing to its delicate translucency which attests to the skill of the ancient Egyptian craftsmen in creating such wafer-thin, stone objects. The shape of the vessel relates it to other imitation animal-skin sack-like vessels, one example of which is in London, The British Museum. This example is dated to the late Predynastic to early Archaic Period roughly between 3200-2800 BC. As such it conforms to the large number of experimental shapes which characterize the repertoire of stone vases at the dawn of Egypt’s history.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 300 AD to 500 AD Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Papyrus The term "Copt" originally referred to the native Egyptians, as  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 300 AD to 500 AD Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Papyrus The term "Copt" originally referred to the native Egyptians, as opposed to the Greek or Arab invaders. While later "Copt" became a religious designation referring to Christian Egyptians, the Coptic period is defined as the first millennium of the Christian era, when Christianity thrived in Egypt. The style of Coptic art evolved from the late antique art of Egypt, retaining Greek and Roman influences. Economic conditions doubtless played a major role in the emergence of a freer, more popular style of art; the lack of an extensive patronage system is evident in many aspects of Coptic art, the emphasis on more personal, less monumental art, the avoidance of costly materials, and the dearth of skilled craftsmen with extensive training among them. The stylistic tendencies of Coptic art move away from a naturalistic rendering of the human form and features. Outline and detail are simplified, and the number of motifs is limited. As a written language, Coptic was derived mainly from the Greek alphabet with seven additional characters from Demotic (the common language of the Ancient Egyptians) to account for sounds in the language not present in Greek. Coptic codices and their contemporary counterparts written in Greek (which was the language of scholars and the elite classes in Alexandrian Egypt) represent some of the earliest sources of the Bible. A variety of regional dialects are recorded in the papyrus manuscripts that allow modern scholar to pinpoint the origins of certain texts. This astounding papyrus codex is written in the Coptic language. If translated, the text would likely refer to one of the books of the New Testament. - (PF.0336)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 700 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 8.125" (20.6cm) high x 4.25" (10.8cm) wide Catalogue: V29 Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 700 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 8.125" (20.6cm) high x 4.25" (10.8cm) wide Catalogue: V29 Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze This exceptionally large and well-preserved depiction of Osiris, god of the Hereafter, was hollow cast via the lost wax method and incrusted with a variety of secondary inlays. The god is depicted in his traditional, mummiform pose enveloped in a shroud from which his arms protrude. These are crossed at the wrists over his chest, with his hands holding a crook and flail respectively. These attributes suggest that the origins of Osiris lay in the agricultural and pastoral pursuits of the early ancient Egyptians who used the flail to thresh grain and the crook to shepherd their flocks. He wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt which is fronted by a uraeus, or sacred cobra. These serpents were believed not to have eye lids and were employed as eternal, vigilant protectors of gods and kings because the Egyptians believed that they never closed their eyes to sleep. Osiris is also shown wearing a false beard, generally identified as that of a goat because the ancient Egyptians, like the Greeks and Romans after them, believe that the goat was one of the most sexually prolific of animals. This characteristic enabled Osiris to know Isis posthumously, fathering their son, Horus. In like manner, that characteristic enabled the deceased, identified with Osiris, to be resurrected in the Hereafter on the model of human procreation.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 4 th Century AD Dimensions: 29.5" (74.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Romano-Egyptian Medium: Paint on Linen The ancient  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 4 th Century AD Dimensions: 29.5" (74.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Romano-Egyptian Medium: Paint on Linen The ancient Egyptians pioneered the practice of painting on linen because flax, from which linen is woven, lacks mordents to which dyes can adhere. It is for that reason that most of the clothing depicted in ancient Egyptian art is white, the colour of un-dyed linen. In order to compensate for this lack of mordents, the Egyptians as early as the Pre-Dynastic Period (about 3200 BC) began the practice of painting on linen, paint taking the place of dye. By the time of the Roman Imperial Period this long- established practice was employed for the decoration of funerary shrouds, of which ours is an outstanding example. Our subject is an elite woman depicted wearing two garments. The first is a lavender coloured tunic, over both shoulders of which is draped a darker, purple- coloured shawl. The colours chosen are intentional marks of her status within society because during the Roman Imperial Period, purple was generally reserved for the clothing of the reigning emperor and members of his immediate family. Living in Egypt, this anonymous matron could wear the imperial purple with impunity. Her accessories include a pearl-like necklace which slips beneath the neckline of her tunic and elaborate earrings which are accurate depictions of actual earrings known to have been worn during this period. Her hair is deceptively arranged. It is not cut short, but is rather looped loosely around her ears and drawn up and tied at the back of her neck.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1991 BC to 1786 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom; 3rd Int. Period Medium: Basalt Although small in scale,  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1991 BC to 1786 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom; 3rd Int. Period Medium: Basalt Although small in scale, this bust from a statuette is executed with a jewel-like precision. This elite member of Egyptian society is represented with his upper arms at the sides of his torso. That torso is well-modeled in asymmetrical, bi-partition with its pronounced sternal notch intersecting the pectoral muscles of the chest. His navel is designed as a slightly off-centered depression. His face is framed by a traditional and heavy shoulder-length wig which is tucked in behind the ears so that it falls to the chest in triangular points. In keeping with artistic tenets of the period, his ears appear to be disproportionately large in relationship to his head and mimic the relative size of ears on contemporary royal images. His brow is naturalistically rendered without the indication of eye brows and protrudes above deep sockets into which his elongated eyes with their heavy lids have been set. His nose is characterized by wide nostrils over a wide mouth with fleshy lips. Overall, the face gives one the impression of a somewhat corpulent but mature individual whose life experiences have been etched into his countenance. Images such as these have been described as depicting care-worn, concerned officials worrying about the plight of their contemporaries. Their expressions have been compared to the period’s literary compositions which decry corruption and advocate a return to socially-acceptable norms of behavior. These are concerns which strike a familiar chord in our own time and demonstrate, once again, the timelessness of ancient Egyptian art.   « Less