21st Nov, 2025 13:00
Fine Antiquities & Ancient Art
33
A VERY RARE GRANITE AMULET OF A BEE, LATE PERIOD
Sold for €3,900
including Buyer's Premium
Egypt, 664-332 BC. Naturalistically carved with a long, ribbed abdomen, legs folded beneath the body, and a prominent head with two bulging eyes. The two wings symmetrically extended over the back and carved in openwork to create a suspension hole. The stone is of a mottled moss green and black color with scattered white specks.
Provenance: A private collection in London, United Kingdom, by circa 1990. The collection of an ancient art dealer in London, United Kingdom, acquired from the above.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear and expected natural imperfections.
In ancient Egypt, granite held both practical and sacred significance, symbolizing eternity, strength, and divine power. Quarried primarily from Aswan, its hardness and enduring nature made it the material of choice for temples, sarcophagi, obelisks, and royal statues—objects meant to last for eternity. Red and pink granite were especially prized, their color linked to the solar energy of Ra and the life force of kingship.
Black and grey varieties, such as the present lot, though rarer, were associated with stability and protection, often used for inner sanctuaries, sacred shrines and sometimes amulets. The immense effort required to carve granite using only dolerite pounders and copper tools further underscored the Egyptians’ devotion and technical mastery. Beyond its physical durability, granite carried a metaphysical weight: it was a stone of permanence, embodying the divine order (Maat) that upheld both the cosmos and the legacy of the pharaohs.
Weight: 16.4 g
Dimensions: Length 4.2 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a related carnelian amulet of a bee, Egypt, Late Old to Early Middle kingdom, dated 2150-1950 BC, 1.4 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 59.103.5. Compare a related amulet of Osiris-Canopus, Egypt, Roman period, dated 31 BC300 AD, 4.5 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number UC54641.
Egypt, 664-332 BC. Naturalistically carved with a long, ribbed abdomen, legs folded beneath the body, and a prominent head with two bulging eyes. The two wings symmetrically extended over the back and carved in openwork to create a suspension hole. The stone is of a mottled moss green and black color with scattered white specks.
Provenance: A private collection in London, United Kingdom, by circa 1990. The collection of an ancient art dealer in London, United Kingdom, acquired from the above.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear and expected natural imperfections.
In ancient Egypt, granite held both practical and sacred significance, symbolizing eternity, strength, and divine power. Quarried primarily from Aswan, its hardness and enduring nature made it the material of choice for temples, sarcophagi, obelisks, and royal statues—objects meant to last for eternity. Red and pink granite were especially prized, their color linked to the solar energy of Ra and the life force of kingship.
Black and grey varieties, such as the present lot, though rarer, were associated with stability and protection, often used for inner sanctuaries, sacred shrines and sometimes amulets. The immense effort required to carve granite using only dolerite pounders and copper tools further underscored the Egyptians’ devotion and technical mastery. Beyond its physical durability, granite carried a metaphysical weight: it was a stone of permanence, embodying the divine order (Maat) that upheld both the cosmos and the legacy of the pharaohs.
Weight: 16.4 g
Dimensions: Length 4.2 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a related carnelian amulet of a bee, Egypt, Late Old to Early Middle kingdom, dated 2150-1950 BC, 1.4 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 59.103.5. Compare a related amulet of Osiris-Canopus, Egypt, Roman period, dated 31 BC300 AD, 4.5 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number UC54641.
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