Description:

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period to the Ptolemaic Period, ca. 7th to 4th centuries BCE. A very attractive abstract face mask comprised of pale green, aqua blue, rose red, olive green, tawny brown, and cream hued faience mummy beads. As is common, the beads have been restrung, as the ancient fibers did not survive the test of time sufficiently to carry the weight of the beads. Size: 4.25" L x 5.25" W (10.8 cm x 13.3 cm)

Such faience bead masks were attached to the wrappings of a mummy, over the facial area, to give it the resemblance of a human face. For an illustration see Piotr Bienkowski - Angela Tooley, "Gifts of The Nile." Ancient Egyptian Arts and Crafts in Liverpool Museum (Liverpool, 1995) p. 68, pl. 103 (Liverpool Museum, inventory number 17.6.20.60, which is also accessible online via the Global Egyptian Museum website).

Also see for instance Christie's South Kensington, London, sale 5951 of 28 April 2009, lot 83, for a similar mask which was estimated to be worth up to GBP 1000 (US$ 1450), but which sold for no less than GBP 2000 (US$ 2900) including buyer's premium!

Provenance: private Orange County, California USA collection acquired before 2000

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#122017

  • Condition: The beads have been restrung. This is very common as the ancient fibers did not survive the test of time sufficiently to carry the weight of the beads. However, all the beads are ancient.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

June 8, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000