Egyptian Predynastic Banded Alabaster Piriform Mace Head
North Africa, Egypt, Predynastic period, ca. 3500–3100 BCE. A pear-shaped mace head ground from banded alabaster (travertine), its creamy body threaded with pale amber striations that swell and taper with the curve of the stone. The piriform profile, broad at the shoulder and drawn to a narrow crown, marks the later Predynastic departure from the earlier disc-shaped type, a change that made the weapon heavier at the point of impact. A cylindrical shaft hole was bored through the axis to receive a wooden haft. Maces of hard, decorative stone were laborious to produce and are widely understood as emblems of authority as much as instruments of combat, the same form later gripped by the smiting king in early dynastic relief. Mounted on an included custom acrylic stand. Size: 2.48" H x 2.15" Diam (6.3 cm H x 5.5 cm Diam); Size of stand: 3.45" H x 2.25" W x 2.25" D (8.8 cm H x 5.7 cm W x 5.7 cm D); Size on included custom stand: 5.25" H (13.3 cm H).
The shift from the disc mace of Naqada I to the piriform mace of Naqada II and III is one of the clearest typological markers in Predynastic Egyptian material culture, and it carried an ideological charge well beyond ballistics. By the threshold of the First Dynasty the piriform mace had become the king's instrument: the ceremonial limestone examples of Scorpion and Narmer, carved with scenes of ritual foundation and conquest, translate the everyday weapon into royal regalia. The gesture of the pharaoh raising a mace above a kneeling captive persisted in Egyptian art for three thousand years, from Narmer's palette to the temple pylons of the Ramesside period.
Egyptian "alabaster" is not the gypsum alabaster of European sculpture but calcite travertine, quarried principally at Hatnub in Middle Egypt. Its banding results from the rhythmic deposition of calcium carbonate in spring-fed cavities, and Predynastic craftsmen exploited those bands deliberately, orienting the blank so the strata wrapped the finished form. Shaping was done with stone pounders and abrasive sand; the shaft hole was bored with a tubular drill fed with quartz sand slurry, a slow rotary process that left the smooth cylindrical channel seen here.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection acquired from Hampton Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, 2026; ex-Economos Works of Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired between 1989 and 2004
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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 #204406
Condition
A few small chips and scattered nicks as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with smooth surfaces.
North Africa, Egypt, Predynastic period, ca. 3500–3100 BCE. A pear-shaped mace head ground from banded alabaster (travertine), its creamy body threaded with pale amber striations that swell and taper with the curve of the stone. The piriform profile, broad at the shoulder and drawn to a narrow crown, marks the later Predynastic departure from the earlier disc-shaped type, a change that made the weapon heavier at the point of impact. A cylindrical shaft hole was bored through the axis to receive a wooden haft. Maces of hard, decorative stone were laborious to produce and are widely understood as emblems of authority as much as instruments of combat, the same form later gripped by the smiting king in early dynastic relief. Mounted on an included custom acrylic stand. Size: 2.48" H x 2.15" Diam (6.3 cm H x 5.5 cm Diam); Size of stand: 3.45" H x 2.25" W x 2.25" D (8.8 cm H x 5.7 cm W x 5.7 cm D); Size on included custom stand: 5.25" H (13.3 cm H).
The shift from the disc mace of Naqada I to the piriform mace of Naqada II and III is one of the clearest typological markers in Predynastic Egyptian material culture, and it carried an ideological charge well beyond ballistics. By the threshold of the First Dynasty the piriform mace had become the king's instrument: the ceremonial limestone examples of Scorpion and Narmer, carved with scenes of ritual foundation and conquest, translate the everyday weapon into royal regalia. The gesture of the pharaoh raising a mace above a kneeling captive persisted in Egyptian art for three thousand years, from Narmer's palette to the temple pylons of the Ramesside period.
Egyptian "alabaster" is not the gypsum alabaster of European sculpture but calcite travertine, quarried principally at Hatnub in Middle Egypt. Its banding results from the rhythmic deposition of calcium carbonate in spring-fed cavities, and Predynastic craftsmen exploited those bands deliberately, orienting the blank so the strata wrapped the finished form. Shaping was done with stone pounders and abrasive sand; the shaft hole was bored with a tubular drill fed with quartz sand slurry, a slow rotary process that left the smooth cylindrical channel seen here.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection acquired from Hampton Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, 2026; ex-Economos Works of Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired between 1989 and 2004
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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 #204406
Condition
A few small chips and scattered nicks as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with smooth surfaces.
