Egyptian Faience Openwork Bracelet

Circa 305-30 BC

Attractive and rare Egyptian Late Period faience openwork bracelet with a thick lustrous turquoise glaze. Repeating nine times around the bracelet is a motif in hieroglyphic form of the seated deity Ma’at, or goddess of truth, justice, and cosmic order.  The deity is bordered on either side by a thick vertical column. The two-dimensional scene is flat in back and is bordered above and below by a thick raised band. This elaborate bracelet is reminiscent of the style of fine craftsmanship of the faience factories of Amarna, popular in the late New Kingdom. Important and scarce type.

Diameter: 2.5 in. (6.5 cm)
Width:  1.2 in. (2.9 cm)

Condition: Professionally repaired with minor restoration. Attractive turquoise glaze.  Custom wood block display stand.

Provenance: Formerly in the L.T. Collection of Pennsylvania, acquired from Royal-Athena Galleries in 1982.

Reference:  See Amulets of Ancient Egypt, p. 60, pl 45a for an openwork faience ring with a similar motif.  Also see Ancient Egyptian Glass and Glazes in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, #55.

Price: $3,900.