Description:

Egypt, pre-Dynastic / Naqada II period, ca. 3500 to 3000 BCE. Three hand-carved stone mace heads of rounded forms and with cylindrical hafting slots drilled vertically through the bodies of two and partially on the third. First is a rounded and slightly flattened stone with a polished gray surface with mottled beige inclusions. The second head exhibits a spherical profile with a tapered base, and is carved from gray-black stone with beige inclusions and mineral deposits. The largest mace head is round like the others, but the hafting slot is only partially drilled on the top and base. This head is carved from a creamy white stone with gray veins. These heads were likely mounted on a wooden handle and were possibly designed for status and ceremony and not for battle. Mace heads shaped like these have been found in Naqada II tombs of both men and women, and they may be an indication of the authority of the buried person, but little is certain about this very early period in Egyptian history. ize largest: 2.22" W x 1.8" H (5.6 cm x 4.6 cm)

Provenance: ex-Sotheby's, New York "Antiquities" auction (June 7, 2005, part of lot 122)

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#152522

  • Condition: Age commensurate surface wear and abrasions with minor chips at the openings. Mineral deposits on the surfaces and all are intact and in good condition!

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December 17, 2020 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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