Egypt, Ptolemaic to early Romano-Egyptian period, ca. 332 BCE to first half of 1st century CE. A stunning gathering of four large glass inlay fragments - two of a wesekh pectoral collar and two with broad wings - formed from thin, opaque glass strips in a plethora of vibrant colors. Two fragments feature multiple layers of an ornate pectoral collar with solid, striped, and segmented bands, and the lower corners show how and where the two fragments were once connected. The wider wing fragment features tan-hued feathers atop a red ground, and the largest fragment exhibits black and tan-hued feathers beneath a fluffy black panel and atop a crimson-hued ground. Fabulous rainbow-hued iridescence has formed across the top surfaces of all fragments. Size of largest (wings w/ black feathers): 7.5" L x 1.9" W (19 cm x 4.8 cm)
For a few good examples of glass inlays from the same time period, please see: Stern, E. Marianne and Birgit Schlick-Nolte. "Early Glass of the Ancient World: 1600 B.C. - A.D. 50 | Ernesto Wolf Collection." Verlag Gerd Hatje, Germany, 1994, pp. 358-364, figs. 115-118.
Provenance: ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1970s; ex-Norman Blankman collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1950s in Cairo, Egypt
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#153327
Condition
All items are fragments of larger glass compositions and have been professionally cleaned and conserved. All items repaired from multiple pieces, with light restoration along versos for structural stability, and very light adhesive residue along frontal break lines. All items have minor abrasions and nicks to front faces, peripheries, and versos, with light encrustations, and minor darkening to some original colors. Light earthen deposits and fabulous rainbow iridescence throughout. Two pectoral fragments are from the same composition.