Works of Art

Lot # 17 - A GROUP OF 46 EGYPTIAN FAIENCE AND GLASS BEADS. New-Kingdom,ca. 1550-1069 BCE L. min 8 mm / Max. 18 mm Provenance Formerly with, Despina Nesgos, 22.9. 2003

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Astarte 25

Lot # 16 - A GROUP OF 127 EGYPTIAN FAIENCE AND GLASS BEADS. New-Kingdom,ca. 1550-1069 BCE L. min 4 mm / Max. 20 mm Provenance Formerly with, Despina Nesgos, 22.9. 2003

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Astarte 25

Lot # 15 - A GROUP OF 59 EGYPTIAN TURQUOISE FAIENCE BEADS. New-Kingdom, ca. 1550-1069 BCE Diam. Min 2 mm / Max. L. 42 mm Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel, 05.01.1984 Of cylinder and elongated squared shape. During the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BCE), faience production in Egypt reached a peak of technological refinement and aesthetic complexity. Egyptian faience, a non-clay ceramic material, was composed primarily of crushed quartz (silica), lime, and alkali, with small amounts of copper compounds that gave it its characteristic blue-green coloration. This vitreous material was shaped into beads through a variety of methods, including molding, hand-forming, and threading on fine reeds or strings during the drying process to ensure perforation. The surface of faience beads was coated with a self-glazing layer known as the efflorescence technique. This method involved the application of a mixture of sodium carbonate and copper oxides, which would migrate to the surface during firing at temperatures ranging from 800°C to 950°C. This process created a glossy, glass-like finish that was both visually striking and durable.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 14 - A RARE EGYPTIAN CORNELIAN AGATE AND GOLD LEG WITH FOOT AMULET PENDANT. Old Kingdom-First Intermediate Period, 1991-1802 BCE H. 30 mm Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel 29.6.1982 Depicting a left leg with foot, the upper part covered by a hammered gold plaque fixed with a rivet, on top, suspension hoop. Amulets depicting the foot and extended leg up to the knee are distinctive to the late Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period. They are frequently discovered in matching pairs—one right and one left—often strung alongside other elements, such as buckle beads, to create anklets. According to Carol Andrews (Amulets of Ancient Egypt, 1994), the front-to-back pierced examples, like the one presented here, display individual toes with remarkable naturalism, surpassing the detail of those pierced from side to side. Carnelian agate remains the most prevalent material for these amulets. Their intended purpose was to grant the power of movement or serve as a symbolic replacement for a lost limb.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 13 - A LOT OF 2 EGYPTIAN FAIENCE TURTLES AMULETS. Early New-Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1550 BCE L. 15 mm Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel 29.6.1982 Of stylized shape of b lue and yellow faience and pierced lenghtwise to be worn as pendants. In Ancient Egypt, the turtle "Trionyx" belongs among the first animals representations on small objects (palettes, vessels, amulets and various magical devices)— "for one of the earliest reference to the animal in Egyptian literature, a funerary spell of the Middle Kingdom, clearly intimates that its flesh is an abomination to the god Re." cit.H.G. Fisher. Designed to protect the deceased from having to eat excrement in the next world. The shadowy and secretive aspect of the turtle put it most directly into opposition with the sun god, yet very benefic to fight against even more dangerous creatures, such as the hippopotamus. In these circumstances, the most probable reason of the relatively frequent representation of the Trionyx was intended to be apotropaic. For a similar typology see a carnelian turtle amulet Brooklyn Museum 14.644.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 12 - A LARGE GROUP OF MESOPOTAMIAN AND BACTRIAN AGATE BEADS. 3rd-2nd Millenium BCE. L. min 2 mm / Max. 58 mm Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel, 05.01.1984 Hand-cut and drilled, each bead is carved into tubular, amygdaloid, or rounded biconical shapes, and polished to a smooth finish. The various shapes of these beads are reminiscent of the artistic traditions of Mesopotamia and Bactria during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. In Mesopotamia, agate was cherished for its strength and vivid natural banding, commonly fashioned into cylinder seals, amulets, and ornamental jewelry, symbolizing protection and social status. Meanwhile, Bactrian artisans skillfully crafted agate into polished beads of diverse forms, sometimes combined with gold or glass to enhance their visual impact. These exquisite creations not only highlight the region's artistic mastery but also underscore its importance as a hub of cultural exchange, linking the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, and the Persian Plateau through extensive trade networks.

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Lot # 11 - A GROUP OF 16 CENTRAL ASIAN AGATE BEADS. Bactria, ca. 3rd-2nd Millennium BCE L.min 5 mm / Max. 30 mm Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel, 05.01.1984 Hand-cut and drilled, each bead is carved into tubular, barrel, or rounded biconical shapes, and polished to a smooth finish. In ancient Bactria, agate was a prized material for jewelry, particularly during the 3rd to 2nd millennia BCE. Archaeological finds, including necklaces with banded agate beads of various shapes, showcase the artisans' mastery in enhancing the stone's natural patterns. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, agate symbolized protection and reflected Bactria's extensive trade networks and cultural exchanges. These beads are a very fine example, with perfect state of conservation.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 10 - A GROUP OF 51 CENTRAL ASIA ROCK CRYSTAL (QUARTZ) BEADS. Bactria, ca. 2000-1000 BCE Min. L. 5 mm / Max. L. 30 mm circa Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel, 05.01.1984 Hand-cut and drilled, each bead is carved into tubular, barrel, or rounded biconical shapes, and polished to a smooth finish (some facetted a posteriori). The ancient crystalline stones possess a natural beauty, characterized by varying levels of translucency. Most of them display biconically drilled perforations visible on the inside. Their glass-like appearance captivated ancient civilizations, shrouded in mystery and fascination. Interestingly, Pliny the Elder believed that quartz was actually fossilized ice, eternally frozen into stone—a belief that endured well into the 17th century.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 9 - TWO BACTRIAN GOLD AND AGATE ELEMENTS. Bactria, Late 2nd-1st Millennium BCE. Diam. 21 mm; 21 mm. Provenance Formerly with, Selim Dere, 14.12.1989. A spherical pierced pendant made of a gold bezel set with a 'bull-eye' agate bead and a floral gold box setting with glass inlays remains, behind two suspension hoops. Presence of deposits and ancient wear marks.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 8 - A GROUP OF 32 MESOPOTAMIAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN AGATE, AMETHYST AND STONES BEADS. 3rd-2nd Millennium BCE L.min 5 mm / Max. 57 mm Provenance Formerly with, Saskia Wessel, 05.01.1984 Hand-cut and drilled, each bead is carved into tubular, amygdaloid, or rounded biconical shapes, and polished to a smooth finish. The various shapes of these beads are reminiscent of the artistic traditions of Mesopotamia and Bactria during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. In Mesopotamia, agate was cherished for its strength and vivid natural banding, commonly fashioned into cylinder seals, amulets, and ornamental jewelry, symbolizing protection and social status. Meanwhile, Bactrian artisans skillfully crafted agate into polished beads of diverse forms, sometimes combined with gold or glass to enhance their visual impact. These exquisite creations not only highlight the region's artistic mastery but also underscore its importance as a hub of cultural exchange, linking the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, and the Persian Plateau through extensive trade networks.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 7 - A group of 12 Eastern Greek and Western Asian gold necklaces elements. 2nd-1st Millennium BCE. Min H. 13 mm / Max. H. 31 mm Provenance Ex Zoumboulakis Gallery, Geneva, 30.1.1978

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Astarte 25

Lot # 6 - A GROUP OF SUMERIAN, EASTERN GREEK AND ROMAN GOLD ELEMENTS. Early 2nd Millennium BCE - 2nd Century A.D. Min. H. 19 mm / Max. H. 28 mm Provenance Formerly, private collection of Mrs. Silvana Benhard, 1.10.1988 "leaf shaped pendants", Sammlung Ebnother 27. 11. 2003 (reproduced) With leaf shaped pendant, dropped shaped elements ending with three sphericals beads, and amphora shaped elements.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 5 - 4 RARE WESTERN ASIAN ELECTRUM NECKLACE. Late 2nd Millennium BCE. H. 30 cm circa Provenance Formerly, collection of Janet Zakos, 24.3.1984 Formed by elongated electrum beads each one, alternated with a ribbed cylindrical electrum element. Beautiful conservation.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 4 - A lot of 2 Mycenean gold strips. Ca. 1450-1200 BCE l. 58 mm x L. 128 mm/l. 52 mm x L. 130 mm. Provenance Formerly, private collection of Mr. Odermatt, Switzerland, before 1988 One of pointed-oval form, narrow and pierced at the ends and surrounded by a band of dots. The other one, with floral pattern and palmettes stamped at the center, also pierced at either end. These gold elements were worn in a funerary context probably as frontlets (bands for the forehead).

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Astarte 25

Lot # 3 - A Sumerian necklace with gold disc and cylindrical beads. Ca. 2600-2500 BCE L. 39 cm / Disk diam. 40 mm Provenance Formerly, private collection of Mrs. Silvana Benhard, 1.10.1988 Made of gold sheet discs alternated with cylindrical gold beads.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 2 - An Egyptian Predynastic restrung necklace with beads and a central shark tooth. Badarian period, circa 4000 BCE. Total L. 28 cm / Tooth 6,5 cm Provenance Formerly, private collection of Mr. Odermatt, Switzerland, before 1988 Formed by stones, limestone, shell, beads and amulets of varia shapes, and centered by a fossilized shark tooth. For similar fossilized shark tooth see Petrie Museum, LDUCE-UC2540.

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Astarte 25

Lot # 1 - A Sumerian necklace wIth flat gold and silver round beads with white limestone beads. Ca.3rd Millennium BCE L. 34 cm circa / disk diam. 22 mm. Provenance Formerly, private collection of Mrs. Silvana Benhard, 1.10.1988 Published in NEFER catalogue 4, 1986, n° 70 Formed by flat gold and silver disc beads with biconical white limestone and lapis beads. Beautiful conservation. Restrung (modern gold clasp).

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Canusina listino 2026

Lot # 9890 - Piccola icona in bronzo e smalti

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