6th C. Egyptian Coptic Bone Disc with Nilotic Boating Scene
North Africa, Egypt, Coptic, Late Antique period, ca. 500–700 CE. A miniature bone roundel, its slightly domed face carved in low relief with a Nilotic boating scene framed by a raised bead-and-reel border. Three figures crowd the vessel: a clothed steersman stands forward in a belted tunic while two nude companions sit low in the hull, working poles against the river bottom, the mast rising behind them in a curving arc. The reverse is left plain and smooth, suggesting the disc was meant to be seen from one side only, set into an inlaid panel, box lid, or furniture veneer, or perhaps used as a gaming piece or token. Nile river imagery, populated by boatmen, fishermen, and marsh fauna, remained a favorite decorative repertoire in Egyptian workshops long after the Roman period, carried into Christian Coptic art with its pastoral charm intact. Size: 0.17" H x 1.02" Diam (0.4 cm H x 2.6 cm Diam). Bone carving flourished in late antique Egypt as an affordable substitute for ivory, worked from cattle long bones by workshops in Alexandria, Antinoopolis, and the Fayum. Their output ranged from figural plaques for furniture and caskets to purely ornamental discs, and their compositional vocabulary drew freely on Hellenistic and Roman models. The Nilotic scene is among the most enduring of those inherited motifs. Originating in Ptolemaic and Roman art, where the Nile in flood was rendered as a teeming landscape of putti, pygmies, hippopotami, and papyrus skiffs, the theme survived into Christian Egypt as an emblem of abundance and, in some readings, of baptismal water and paradise. The pairing here of a clothed helmsman with nude polers follows a long-established convention distinguishing the pilot from the laboring crew. Provenance: private Dayton, Maryland, USA collection; ex-private F. B. collection, Maryland, USA, acquired between 1990 to 2005 SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item # 204775
Condition
Some weathering and rubbing to surface as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and very nice with good remaining detail. Rich patina and earthen deposits throughout.
North Africa, Egypt, Coptic, Late Antique period, ca. 500–700 CE. A miniature bone roundel, its slightly domed face carved in low relief with a Nilotic boating scene framed by a raised bead-and-reel border. Three figures crowd the vessel: a clothed steersman stands forward in a belted tunic while two nude companions sit low in the hull, working poles against the river bottom, the mast rising behind them in a curving arc. The reverse is left plain and smooth, suggesting the disc was meant to be seen from one side only, set into an inlaid panel, box lid, or furniture veneer, or perhaps used as a gaming piece or token. Nile river imagery, populated by boatmen, fishermen, and marsh fauna, remained a favorite decorative repertoire in Egyptian workshops long after the Roman period, carried into Christian Coptic art with its pastoral charm intact. Size: 0.17" H x 1.02" Diam (0.4 cm H x 2.6 cm Diam). Bone carving flourished in late antique Egypt as an affordable substitute for ivory, worked from cattle long bones by workshops in Alexandria, Antinoopolis, and the Fayum. Their output ranged from figural plaques for furniture and caskets to purely ornamental discs, and their compositional vocabulary drew freely on Hellenistic and Roman models. The Nilotic scene is among the most enduring of those inherited motifs. Originating in Ptolemaic and Roman art, where the Nile in flood was rendered as a teeming landscape of putti, pygmies, hippopotami, and papyrus skiffs, the theme survived into Christian Egypt as an emblem of abundance and, in some readings, of baptismal water and paradise. The pairing here of a clothed helmsman with nude polers follows a long-established convention distinguishing the pilot from the laboring crew. Provenance: private Dayton, Maryland, USA collection; ex-private F. B. collection, Maryland, USA, acquired between 1990 to 2005 SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item # 204775
Condition
Some weathering and rubbing to surface as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and very nice with good remaining detail. Rich patina and earthen deposits throughout.
