Button seals were popular from the Old Kingdom. Influenced by seals from the Near East, they were used as seals but also held apotropaic value. A large number of such seals have been found in tombs belonging to women and children and motifs of children were a popular depiction. They were incorporated onto strings of beads and amulets, and given the multiple piercings of this amulet we can ascertain it was strung similarly.
Egyptian Steatite Button Seal with a Rosette
£ 425.00
A large, Egyptian, steatite button seal featuring a rosette to the obverse and a decorated reverse. The front features a multi-petalled rosette, with a concentric circular centre. The reverse features a stylised motif, with apotropaic signs. At the centre is a squatting figure, arms reaching out. Underneath is another figure, but slightly ambiguous. It could possibly another figure or animal. Beneath these two figures are three stylised signs, including the heart and windpipe ‘nfr’ sign, which translates as ‘good’. Encircling the hieroglyphs are scroll patterns, acting as a border. Such motifs were common on Middle Kingdom scarabs. The amulet is pierced at various intersections for suspensions.
Period: Middle Kingdom
Provenance: From the Gustave Mustaki collection, a collector of antiquities who amassed large collection in Alexandria (Egypt)
Condition: Fine. Chip to the border to the reverse.
In stock
| Weight | 11.7 g |
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| Dimensions | L 3 cm |
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