Description:

Egypt, pre-Dynastic/Naqada II period, ca. 3500 to 3000 BCE. A gorgeous pair of carved-stone mace heads, one of greenstone and one of alabaster, presenting piriform bodies and vertical drill holes for attaching to wooden shafts. Both boast silky smooth surfaces with the greenstone piece presenting in a hue of black with natural cream inclusions and the one of alabaster with shades of misty rose and salmon pink. These were likely mounted on a wooden pole or shaft and were possibly designed for status and ceremony rather than battle. Mace heads shaped like these have been found in Naqada II tombs of both men and women, and they may have served as an indication of the deceased's authority, but little is certain about this very early period in Egyptian history. Size: 2.125" in diameter x 2.25" H (5.4 cm x 5.7 cm)

Provenance: ex-Sotheby's New York, June 7 2005, Lot 122; ex-private German collection, acquired ca. 1980

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#152525

  • Condition: Chip to top rim of drill hole on larger and nicks to rims of drill holes on both. Otherwise, both are excellent.

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March 4, 2021 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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