MIDDLE KINGDOM, CIRCA 1850 B.C.

Details

AN EGYPTIAN INSCRIBED OPAQUE BLUE GLASS SCARAB
MIDDLE KINGDOM, CIRCA 1850 B.C.
The reverse inscribed for the owner, "The steward...bebu", ½ in. (1.7 cm.) long; an amethyst scarab, Middle Kingdom, ½ in. (1.3 cm.) long; an inscribed silver and blue glazed rock crystal bezel, the silver mount decorated with six wave spirals enclosing the name of the owner: "The priest(?) ..Wsrt", pierced as for swivel ring attachment, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty XII, circa 1850 B.C., 1.5 cm. diam.; an ivory human headed scaraboid, the convex elongated body with inscribed facial detail at one end with band above, Middle Kingdom, circa 1897-1878 B.C., 1 1/8 in. (2.8 cm.) long; a turquoise glazed composition cylindrical bead inscribed Iby; a blue glazed composition bead with ntr-sign; a rock crystal tear-shaped pendant bead, all Middle Kingdom-New Kingdom, 2 in. (5 cm.) long max.; and a Predynastic bone figure of a stylized man, with beard and v-shaped cross bands across his plank body, Naqada I, circa 3200 B.C., 2 5/8 in. (6.6 cm.) high (8)

Special notice

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Lot Essay

Item one: the scarab is a rare example of the use of glass in the Middle Kingdom of which there are examples in the British Museum, see the introduction of J. D. Cooney, Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum, IV, London, 1976; and also R. S. Bianchi (ed.), Reflections of Ancient Glass from the Borowski Collection, Mainz, 2002, p. 123-125, EG-2.
Item three: glazed rock crystal occurs only in Dynasty XII.
Item four: ink inscribed on base "LAHUN".

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