A thread for my antiquities

[airhead1983]

I am thoroughly enjoying your artifacts, Donna.  Please continue posting!

Erin

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, Steve said:

Wow Donna, you are so cool ... you have a lot of cool stuff (I like it!)

 

Ummm, I do have a couple of very cool scarubs (wanna see 'em?) 

=> okay, here they are 

 

2nd Intermediate Period Steatite scarab (below)

Circa 1650-1550 BC

Diameter: 23 x 16 mm

Obverse: Base engraved with an antelope walking right; palm branches in field. A few minor chips and cracks, otherwise intact, part of greenish-brown glaze remaining, pierced for mounting.

From the David Hendin Collection

 

 

2nd Intermediate Period Steatite scarab (below)

Circa 1650-1550 BC

Diameter: 21 x 15 mm

Obverse: Base engraved with two crocodiles back-to-back. Intact, once glazed, pierced for mounting.

From the David Hendin Collection

 

Ummm, meanwhile, we snagged this very cool "antique" tea-cart ... cool enough, right?

Those two scarabs look fantastic! I'd love to see the impressions of them in modeling clay.

[DonnaML]

I'm getting down to the end, with only a couple more to post after this (one of which is on the way; I'll wait to post it until it arrives).

Egypt, green faience amulet depicting Isis, wearing “stepped throne” crown (in form of hieroglyph for Isis's name, Queen or Mother of Throne)*, right breast bare, seated on elaborate chair with cross-hatched/basket pattern on sides; on her lap, her son the infant Horus (a/k/a Harpocrates, “Horus-the-child”), wearing sidelock resting upwards against her body; her left hand holds him up behind his head, with her right hand about to offer her breast to him. Late/Ptolemaic Period, ca. 600-30 BCE. 60.3 mm. (2 3/8”) H, 30 mm D. Purchased 1/10/2021, Explorer Ancient Art, NYC (Mark Goodstein), ex. Don Wonder Collection, NJ (before 1981).









*See, e.g., https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-isis (Isis "is known today by her Greek name Isis; however, the ancient Egyptians called her Aset. Her name translates to 'Queen of the Throne' which is reflected in her headdress, which is typically a throne");https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis ("The hieroglyphic writing of her name incorporates the sign for a throne, which Isis also wears on her head as a sign of her identity"); https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the...n-art/temple-of-dendur-50/cult-and-decoration (the fourth photo down shows a relief from the Temple of Dendur, depicting Isis wearing, on top of her headdress, "a small stepped hieroglyph that depicts a throne and was used to write Isis's name"); http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/asianartglossary.html (referencing "[t]he stepped-throne hieroglyph of Isis").

****

Small amulets and statuetttes/figurines of Isis nursing (or about to nurse) the infant Horus were very common in Ancient Egypt during the Late Period, most notably in bronze (and wearing the sun disk and horns), but also in faience, and wearing Isis's stepped throne crown, as on my artifact. See the examples from the Brooklyn Museum, the Louvre, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/117027; https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/statuette-isis-nursing-horus; and https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545969 . To quote from the Met's description:

"In the Late Period, the popularity of this important goddess dramatically increased. She is nearly always depicted in anthropomorphic form, standing or seated on a throne. This statuette shows the goddess in her most beloved pose, nursing her son Horus (known also as the lactans pose). Other goddesses sometimes nurse Horus or other child gods, but Isis is preeminent among them in this role. She wears the horned crown that by the Late Period she had adopted from the goddess Hathor, as well as the vulture headdress that emphasized the role of goddesses as royal mothers. Horus, meanwhile, wears an amulet on his chest, a common feature for child gods.

The large number of Isis statuettes in this particular pose demonstrate some of the qualities for which Isis was most valued in the first millennium BC: her role as a life-giver and protector. These types of statuettes were very common, dedicated not just to Isis cults, but seemingly to many temples and shrines, usually in association with Osiris and the child god Horus."

From the Louvre:

"During later periods, Egyptians produced many small bronze statuettes of their deities, which they then gave as tributes during pilgrimages to holy sites. Thousands of them have been found in concealed areas, where they were placed to make room for others. This image of Isis nursing her child only appeared during the last millennium BC. Prior to this time, this role was attributed to other goddesses, such as Mut and Hathor, the Celestial Cow, also called the Temple of Horus, whose cow horns were usually attributed to Isis at the time. This is a good example of a common image that was reproduced in varying degrees of craftsmanship. It is difficult to accurately determine the geographical provenance or the precise date for most of these objects, as Isis was viewed as the universal mother from an early time."
 

The theme was also quite popular on coins during the Roman Egyptian period. I have three different examples:

1. Hadrian, AE Diobol [1/12 of a tetradrachm], Year 16 (131/132 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Isis as mother, crowned with disk and horns, seated right on throne, offering left breast to infant Harpocrates ("Horus-as-child") sitting on her knee crowned with skhent (the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt) [or wearing sidelock?]; on corners of back of throne, two hawks/falcons (also representing Horus), facing each other, each wearing skhent, L - IϚ [= Year 16] across fields. Emmett 1138.16; RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5813 (2015); RPC III Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5813; BMC 16 Alexandria 762 at p. 90 & PL. XVI [Pool, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)]; Dattari (Savio) 1749; Köln 1046; K&G 32.530. Purchased from Shick Coins, Ashdod, Israel, Dec. 2020; Israel Antiquities Authority Export License No. 42927, 02/02/2021.*



*Thus, Horus actually appears three times on this coin: once as the infant Horus (Harpocrates), and twice in his manifestation as the Horus falcon. (See my bronze Horus falcon posted above in this thread.) The falcons on this coin clearly wear the skhent crown; I'm not entirely sure whether Harpocrates wears the same crown, or whether that's simply the childhood sidelock in which he is known for wearing his hair. 

2. Antoninus Pius Billon Tetradrachm, Year 23 (159-160 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate and draped bust right, ΑΝΤѠΝΙΝΟϹ - ϹƐΒ ƐVϹƐΒ (counterclockwise from upper right) /Isis crowned with disk, horns, and plumes, seated right offering her right breast to crowned Harpocrates [“Horus-as-Child”] seated on her lap; Harpocrates extends his right hand towards her and holds lotus flower in left hand; crowned falcon [Horus] perched right on left end of back of throne, L - Γ [G] /K [= Year 23] across field. Emmett 1402.23 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; Dattari (Savio) 2257 [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)]; RPC IV.4 Online, 13938 (temporary) (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/13938); Köln (Geissen) 1842 [Geissen, A., Katalog alexandrinischer Kaisermünzen, Köln, Band II (Hadrian-Antoninus Pius) (Cologne, 1978, corrected reprint 1987)][same dies, see RPC Online 13938 at the link provided, Example 3]; Sear RCV II 4377; K&G 35.810 [Kampmann, Ursula & Granschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria (2008)]. 21x28 mm., 11.67 g. Ex. Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., 168th Buy or Bid Sale, March 16, 2010, Lot 475.



3. Julia Domna, AR Denarius ca. 201 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, hair waved vertically and fastened in large bun in back, IVLIA AVGVSTA / Rev. Isis, wearing polos on head, draped, standing three-quarters right, head right, holding the nursing infant Horus (Harpocrates) in left arm against left breast, with her right hand holding a wreath or other ring-shaped object against her chest, her left foot against prow, right, and her left knee bent with Horus resting on it; to left of Isis, rudder rests against altar; SAECVLI FELICITAS. RIC IV-1 577 (p. 170), RSC III 174 (ill.), Sear RCV II 6606, BMCRE 166. 18x20 mm., 3.35 g., 6 h. Ex. A.K. Collection; ex. CNG Triton XX Auction, Jan. 10, 2017, part of Lot # 614, No. E027.*



A close-up of the important part:

*Some have questioned whether this scene is actually intended to depict Isis nursing the infant Horus, because Isis wears the "wrong" kind of headgear, namely a polos rather than the sun disk and horns -- even though that was originally an attribute of Hathor, not Isis -- or the stepped throne crown of Isis. I think that the skepticism is probably misplaced, given the absence of any other reasonable candidate who would be recognized as represented in this scene. Not, I believe, Julia Domna herself, the mother of two sons, not one, neither of them an infant. Especially given the fact that it's an Imperial coin, and as well known as the Isis/Horus story may already have been in Rome, I'm not sure the details of Isis's crown were necessarily that familiar to a Roman audience. Besides, why else would she be depicted with a rudder, her foot on a prow -- Isis's exact stance on the well-known Isis Pharia coins of Alexandria?

PS:  Given what once famously happened in a thread in the other place, please no analogizing of the Isis/Osiris/Horus story to another famous story involving a mother and child. 

However, even though this post is in the artifacts forum, if anyone has any other numismatic representations of Isis and the infant Horus, I'd love to see them.

Edited June 13, 2022 by DonnaML

[JeandAcre]

Magnificent amulet, @DonnaML.  And it's always very cool when you demonstrate the coint --ahem, continuities all the way into the Roman period.  

[thenickelguy]

What an amazing museum you have. Next time I'll read more. The pictures are pure eye candy.

[Dafydd]

On 6/3/2022 at 5:24 PM, DonnaML said:

Switching briefly to Rome, here are some photos of my small ancient Roman bronze eagle, which is approximately 45 mm. (1 4/5") high. Purchased 12/23/2019, Medusa Ancient Art, Montreal, CA:

Much more to come over time: I have between 50 and 60 different artifacts accumulated in the last 40 years, and I am fairly certain that I have photos of all of them.

I own a couple of low grade artefacts such as sling shots, arrow heads and pottery shards ( given to me by a Field Liasison Officer so no 15 year sentence for me!) but inspired by @DonnaML I successfully bid on the following yesterday. Possibly I won because the item is a fake so I would appreciate opinions. The auction was N&N London and no weight or size was given so I expect it turn up the size of my thumbnail but I enjoy the anticipation.

At the cost I was happy to take the risk and if it doesn't work out I won't lose sleep and have educated myself.

Described as : Antiquities - Roman
Roman Eagle Statuette. 2nd-3rd century AD. Bronze.SOLD AS SEEN NO RETURN.

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by Dafydd

[DonnaML]

12 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

I own a couple of low grade artefacts such as sling shots, arrow heads and pottery shards ( given to me by a Field Liasison Officer so no 15 year sentence for me!) but inspired by @DonnaML I successfully bid on the following yesterday. Possibly I won because the item is a fake so I would appreciate opinions. The auction was N&N London and no weight or size was given so I expect it turn up the size of my thumbnail but I enjoy the anticipation.

At the cost I was happy to take the risk and if it doesn't work out I won't lose sleep and have educated myself.

Described as : Antiquities - Roman
Roman Eagle Statuette. 2nd-3rd century AD. Bronze.SOLD AS SEEN NO RETURN.

 

It's impossible to tell anything from these photos. Was there even a photo of the front of the eagle?  Once you receive it, maybe you can post better pictures. And you can always ask opinions on the ancientartifacts io group list.

[Dafydd]

1 minute ago, DonnaML said:

It's impossible to tell anything from these photos. Was there even a photo of the front of the eagle?  Once you receive it, maybe you can post better pictures. And you can always ask opinions on the ancientartifacts io group list.

Hi @DonnaML Unfortunately not but it was posted today so I should have it tomorrow unless the send it to the USA 🙂 

I will post images.

Many thanks for the suggested contact.

[JeandAcre]

@Dafydd, of course it's necessary to defer to @DonnaML's (Disclaimer: 100% Hyperbole Free:) amply demonstrataed erudition.  But I'm really likieng your first one.  Best of luck with the second!

[DonnaML]

5 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

Hi @DonnaML Unfortunately not but it was posted today so I should have it tomorrow unless the send it to the USA 🙂 

I will post images.

Many thanks for the suggested contact.

Hopefully it won't turn out that its face and beak are entirely missing or some such thing!

[DonnaML]

This is the final artifact I'm planning to post, except for the one that's on the way -- which I'll post after it arrives -- and any subsequent purchases. (Unlike coins, I rarely buy more than a couple of ancient artifacts per year, a pattern I've followed for 40 years now.)

Egyptian bronze Apis Bull, Late Dynastic Period, ca. 662-330 BCE, intact (except for broken tip of left horn), with sun disk and uraeus between horns. 7.6 cm. (3") H, 49 mm. L.  Purchased March 20, 2021, Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, New York City.

The dealer's description:

 

My photos:

 

 

 

 

The bull has a collar incised around its neck, a blanket on its back, and a scarab with wings and beetle horns incised on the tail end of its back, but except for the collar, I was unable to photograph them in a way that made them visible.

 

This shows how the bull looks on its shelf with some other artifacts to give an idea of relative size, with the glass dome removed from the bell jar to make it easier to photograph:

 

 

Before I made the purchase, I noticed from the dealer's photographs and from examining the artifact in hand that it appeared to be rather seriously afflicted with bronze disease. Which sometimes affects not only ancient coins, but bronze artifacts as well.  Here are some of the dealers original photos: 

 

The dealer agreed to have it treated professionally, at his cost, before I completed the purchase. This was the conservator's report:

Here's a link to the conservator's background and qualifications: http://artconservationatelier.com/bio/.

 

In any event, I believe she did a good job, because I've kept an eye on things -- including the humidity inside of and surrounding the bell jar -- and have noticed no recurrence in the last year. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by DonnaML

[Spaniard]

@DonnaML...Wow that's a beautiful piece...Love the sun disc between horns....Glad the BD problem seems to have been resolved.....Nice, nice. Thanks for sharing.

Also thanks for the group shot as it's always difficult to see the scale.......Sweet little bronze!

Edited June 14, 2022 by Spaniard

[Ryro]

44 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

This is the final artifact I'm planning to post, except for the one that's on the way -- which I'll post after it arrives --

Any hint as to what's on the way?😁

And a few musts for ancient collectors; my sling bullets and fibula:

[Etcherdude]

@DonnaML What was the function of the bull? It must be a ritual object. It looks like it was attached to another object.

[DonnaML]

7 minutes ago, Etcherdude said:

@DonnaML What was the function of the bull? It must be a ritual object. It looks like it was attached to another object.

It was meant to fit in a base, like the modern one it's in now.

[Etcherdude]

4 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

It was meant to fit in a base, like the modern one it's in now.

But what was the purpose of the bull? It must have been found in a tomb did it embody the essence of Apis? Or is it a votive object?

[DonnaML]

10 minutes ago, Etcherdude said:

But what was the purpose of the bull? It must have been found in a tomb did it embody the essence of Apis? Or is it a votive object?

I don't know the answer. It's too big to be an amulet.

[JeandAcre]

2 hours ago, Ryro said:

Any hint as to what's on the way?😁

And a few musts for ancient collectors; my sling bullets and fibula:

@Ryro, it's Wild that that one sling bullet is from a specific battlefield.  ...I only remember seeing one example of the same thing, something from a medieval battlefield, also in Spain.

...Thinking out loud: sites of sieges would be good candidates, if a detectorist could manage to get anywhere near them.

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, Etcherdude said:

@DonnaML What was the function of the bull? It must be a ritual object. It looks like it was attached to another object.

OK, here are a couple of answers to your question. It seems that Apis bull statuettes like mine were, in fact, generally used as votive figurines:

https://australian.museum/blog-archive/science/egyptian-past-a-pedigree-of-our-apis-figure/#:~:text=1070-30 BC) and were,and Osiris for the dead.

Apis votive figurines became very common during the Third Intermediate to the Ptolemaic Periods (c. 1070-30 BC) and were used for worshipping deities and in funeral cults such as that of the Apis or Mnevis Bull, or in Graeco-Roman times, the Serapis Bull. The Apis Bull was believed to be the embodiment of principal gods - Ptah for the living and Osiris for the dead. The bull acted as an intermediary between the people and the gods.

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/statue-of-the-apis-bull-2/

Apis, “the king of all sacred animals” in Egypt was depicted in this votive bronze statue originating presumably from Saqqara (the necropolis of the city of Memphis), from the period of the Twenty-sixth (Saite) Dynasty. Thanks to the numerous positive characteristics attributed to bulls (procreative power, unfettered life energy) the Apis bull and its cult became part of the rituals connected to Egyptian kingship as early as the beginnings of the country’s written history. On a theological level, the Apis bull was associated with Ptah in Memphis, the most ancient capital of Egypt. In the Late Period, votive bronze statues were produced and erected en masse to pay tribute to the Apis bull, which was considered the living image and earthly manifestation of Ptah. Among them, the proportionately represented and masterly executed Budapest piece is one of the highest quality pieces.

The votive statuette shows the usual depiction of the bull striding forward with its front left leg. It wears a sun-disc with a uraeus-serpent between its horns, while the body is incised with various decorations and symbols of the cosmic significance of the Apis bull. The (white) triangle engraved into its forehead was one of the distinctive body marks based on which the priests were able to recognize the new incarnation after the bull kept in the temple district died. The winged scarab at the front part of the bull’s back and the figure of the vulture-shaped sky goddess engraved further down refer to the cosmic functions of the Apis. Presumably, like the votive objects of other animal cults found in the animal burial grounds in Saqqara, the Apis bronzes were offered at particular festival events, mainly during the festivals of Osiris as well as the New Year celebration and the festive events aimed at the continuation and renewal of the state.

 

[Etcherdude]

Thanks @DonnaML. So these would have been offered at the ritual site associated with Apis. There must have been large caches of these discovered around the altar(s)?

[DonnaML]

1 hour ago, Etcherdude said:

Thanks @DonnaML. So these would have been offered at the ritual site associated with Apis. There must have been large caches of these discovered around the altar(s)?

I would think so. 

[Octavius]

 

 

Lot 126. Roman bronze bread-stamp
1st - 2nd century AD; length cm 6; height cm 2,5; L VISVLCAE / MISTICI, and with engraved caduceus on the handle; English private collection, bought before 2000.

 

 

Roman terra sigilata - c. 1st - 2nd century CE

 

 

This is a columbarium burial plaque of Gaius Taflenius C(aii  F(ilius) V(ixit) Mens(es) VII  -  evidently he was just an infant son of Gaius Taflenius who lived for only seven months.

 

This is a Roman beaker from the 1st century BC.

 

 

This painted terracotta vase from Thailand, c. 3000 - 2000 BC, is actually not mine -  It belongs to my cat.  I was online early one morning participating in a London auction, waiting for a particular coin to come up, dozing off, eyes half closed, when she suddenly jumped up on my desk and whacked the blinking green light on the screen. 500 pounds later, this arrived.

 

[Husain]

On 6/9/2022 at 7:31 AM, thenickelguy said:

Don't know why but Eqypt is my favorite old world. This thread is fascinating.

 

 

So true! I just love their culture and style! And the art is so amazing to look at.

[Didier Attaix]

Hello,

A superb collection! I am collecting Egyptian antiquities since 43 years and recently displayed my collection in two custom made showcases (see pictures). There are also a few Greek, Roman, Phoenician or Carthaginian, and Near Eastern artefacts. They were mainly bought from Malters Gallery (now closed), Collector Antiquities (Bron Lipkin), Helios Gallery (Rolf von Kiaer/Samantha Neal), Ancient & Oriental (Christopher Martin), Ancient Relics (Guy Rothwell), Ancient Resource (Gabriel Vandervort), vcoins.com (Hassam Zurquieh) and French, British and American Sales Rooms. Best deals were made on eBay(!) with rare amulets and figurines, repeatedly identified and authenticated by curators of the British Museum. 

I specialized in Egyptian amulets and will soon open a blog on this topic. It will include detailed pictures of many amulets of my collection.

All the best,

Didier

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Didier Attaix
Error in the name of the owner of Helios Gallery

[DonnaML]

This is rather anti-climactic, but I completely forgot to post one artifact, my earliest human-made antiquity:

Sumerian biscuit-shaped cuneiform tablet with impressed cuneiform inscription, inscribed with 9 lines of text on both sides, translation included (receipt for carcasses of five sheep which had been issued to Shulgi-Urumu by Nalv, Drehem, 26th Day of the 3rd month of the last year of the reign of Shu-Sin [2023 BCE]). ¾” H x ¾” W. Purchased 1/27/1986, Harmer Rooke Numismatists, NYC.