Fantastic Egyptian Faience Bead Necklace - 19 Strands

Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate to Late Dynastic Period, 21st to 31st Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 332 BCE. A fabulous necklace containing thousands of petite faience beads, each glazed in varying hues of blue, beige, gray, and red. The composition is constructed from 19 individual strands of beads which alternate between slender, tubular beads and groupings of seed-form beads, with some bearing fused multi-seed forms, and others of fragmentary tubular forms. Each strand terminal is bound within a set of modern silver wires that coil and taper until forming a loop and French hook combo to enable wearability. With lustrous coloration and expert construction, this is a stunning combination between ancient craftsmanship and modern fashion! Size (necklace): 22" L (55.9 cm); (largest bead): 0.7" L (1.8 cm); silver quality: 83.1%

The ancient Egyptians referred to faience as "tjehnet" - meaning brilliant or dazzling - and was made from ground quartz or sand crystals together with various elements. Faience beads were used in everyday jewelry and were also used to make burial nets to be placed over mummies.

Cf. a multi-strand necklace from the New Kingdom at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 11.215.450.

Provenance: ex-Middletown, New York, USA collection, acquired late 1990s; ex-private upstate New York, USA collection, before 1998

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#168329
Condition Report: Wearable as shown and strung in modern times. Faience beads are ancient, and stringing and silver wire terminals are modern. Minor chips and damage to some beads, with very light encrustations, old transfer of red pigment, and some sharp edges and corners; overall a majority of the beads are intact. Great remains to luster and bead coloration throughout.