Egyptian
A necklace of Egyptian hardstone large lentoid beads, Middle Kingdom, 11th – 12th Dynasty, circa 2000 - 1800 BC
Hardstone
Length including clasp: 47 cm
The restrung necklace is composed of twenty-eight Egyptian carnelian, amazonite/feldspar, rock crystal/amethyst and jasper beads, lentoid in shape and graduating in size.
The restrung necklace is composed of twenty-eight Egyptian carnelian, amazonite/feldspar, rock crystal/amethyst and jasper beads, lentoid in shape and graduating in size.
Provenance
With Frédérique Tchacos Paris, 1971
With Beaux Arts Trades, Hong Kong, 1993
With Galerie Nefer, Zurich, before 1998
Private Collection, Aarau, thence by descent
Private Collection, Switzerland
Exhibitions
On Loan: Antikenmuseum Basel & Sammlung Ludwig, 1998 – 2022Literature
Such lentoid beads were popular throughout ancient Egypt and the Middle East with the stones often being imported from very far afield. Red carnelian is thought to have represented blood’s life-giving properties. For a similar lentoid carnelian bead from Middle Kingdom Abydos, see the Brooklyn Museum, acc. no. 26.161; there is an amethyst example in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acc. no. 46.1457. For further related forms see C. Andrews, Ancient Egyptian Jewellery, London, 1990, 74b.Publications
A. Wiese, Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, Die Ägyptische Abteilung, Mainz, 2001, p. 66-7, no. 31f.