TWO EGYPTIAN BLUE AND TURQUOISE GLASS HAND AND FOOT INLAYS

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FIVE 'AMARNA' GLASS INALYS In the 14th Century B.C., Egyptian glass craftsmen were using casting techniques to produce inlays, each made separately, either with a melted piece of glass at the end of a rod above a fire and pressed into heated moulds, or crushed glass fired directly in the mould (E. M. Stern and B. Schlick-Nolte, Early Glass of the Ancient World, 1600 B.C.-A.D. 50, Ernesto Wolf Collection, Ostfildern, 1994, p. 48). Glass inlays were used to bring a polychrome vibrancy to figural scenes in composite reliefs decorating palace walls, shrines, coffins or fine furniture. The inlays were either fixed to the surface in protruding relief, or inserted into individual cells. The former technique would require thinner inlays, as found in the two royal profile heads, lots 29 & 30, whilst the latter would require thicker inlays, such as the foot and hand inlays, lot 28, and the red glass face inlay, lot 31 (ibid., p. 142, no. 11 for a similar red glass face inlay). The eye and eyebrow are recessed for inlay, probably in a contrasting colour. A turquoise blue glass inlay representing one of the king's daughters was found at Amarna; another in red glass relief depicts two royal daughters probably also from Amarna, cf. J. Samson, City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Key Pieces from the Petrie Museum, University College London, 1972, pp. 64, 74-76, fig. V. For another similar example, cf. Ancient Glass, Formerly the Kofler-Truniger Collection; sold Christie's, London, 5 and 6 March 1985, lot 347. In the tomb of Aper-El, vizier under Amenhotep III/IV, in Saqqara, two wood coffin lids were discovered belonging to his wife Taweret and his son Huy, Overseer of the royal breeding farm for horses under Akhenaten (circa 1350-1333 B.C.). In each coffin were the surviving composite relief decoration with glass inlays, including the outstretched figure of Nut, the sky goddess, with feet, arms and heads in blue glass, cf. A. Zivie, Découverte à Saqqarah: Le vizir oublié, Paris, 1990, pp. 96-124.

TWO EGYPTIAN BLUE AND TURQUOISE GLASS HAND AND FOOT INLAYS

NEW KINGDOM, LATE DYNASTY XVIII, CIRCA 1388-1292 B.C.

Details

TWO EGYPTIAN BLUE AND TURQUOISE GLASS HAND AND FOOT INLAYS
NEW KINGDOM, LATE DYNASTY XVIII, CIRCA 1388-1292 B.C.
Including a hand in opaque blue glass, the long tapering fingers curled over, turned to the left in adoration; and a turquoise left foot facing right
1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm.) long max. (2)

Provenance

The Groppi Collection, Switzerland; acquired in the 1920s-1940s.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 20% on the buyer's premium.

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