THE PROPERTY OF MR. W. ANTHONY HUSTON FROM THE ESTATE OF THE LATE MR. JOHN HUSTON
A GOLD AND CLOISONNÉ BA-BIRD PENDANT

Details
A GOLD AND CLOISONNÉ BA-BIRD PENDANT
DYNASTY XXV-XXVI (712-525 B.C.)
The rigid gold human-headed bird wearing a broad collar with legs extended under its body, the tail feathers indicated, a suspension loop at its breast, the finely detailed outspread wings with remains of polychrome glassy-paste inlays, small indent at head
2 in. (4.8 cm.) across
Provenance
Given by the late John Huston to his wife, Ricki, and by descent to their son.

Lot Essay

The Ba-bird represented the soul of the deceased person who was thought of as a human-headed falcon.

For similar cf. H. Schäffer, Ägyptische Goldschmiedearbeiten, Mitteilungen aud de Ägyptische Sammlung, I, Berlin, 1910, p. 36, no. 38, pls. 1, 9; R. Fazzini, Images for Eternity, The Brooklyn Museum, 1975, p. 126, no. 110; Jewelry Ancient to Modern, The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1979, pl. 118; C. Andrews, Ancient Egyptian Jewellery, The British Museum, 1990, p. 130, 194, pl. 113b; and Christie's London, 8 June 1988, lot 179 for an inlaid winged scarab originally in the Henry Walters and Ernst Brummer collections, now in the Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin (cf. B. Fay, Egyptian Museum, Berlin, 1990, pp. 50-51, no. 26).

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