Lot of 6 Egyptian Millefiori Glass Inlay Fragments

Egypt, Ptolemaic to early Romano-Egyptian period, ca. 332 BCE to first half of 1st century CE. An attractive gathering of six sizable mold-cast, opaque glass fragments exhibiting a plethora of vibrant colors. Four slender fragments were created via the millefiori technique with stunningly dense floral and checkerboard-pattern motifs and perhaps represent the leg portion of a deceased individual standing in mummiform. One colorful fragment depicts the latter half of a striding cow, perhaps representing the goddess Hathor, with a black-and-white body in front of a blue background. The largest fragment is a beige-hued recessed rectangle perhaps representing a votive coffin or sarcophagus. Size of largest (rectangular fragment): 3.25" L x 2.1" W (8.3 cm x 5.3 cm)

For a few good examples of glass inlays from the same time period, please see: Stern, E. Marianne and Birgit Schlick-Nolte. "Early Glass of the Ancient World: 1600 B.C. - A.D. 50 | Ernesto Wolf Collection." Verlag Gerd Hatje, Germany, 1994, pp. 358-364, figs. 115-118.

Provenance: ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1970s; ex-Norman Blankman collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1950s in Cairo, Egypt

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#153324
Condition Report: All items are fragments of larger glass compositions and have been professionally cleaned and conserved. Largest fragment and two millefiori fragments repaired from a few large pieces, with light resurfacing along break lines on verso, and very light adhesive residue along frontal break lines. All items have minor abrasions and nicks to faces, peripheries, and versos, with light encrustations, and darkening to some areas of original color. Light earthen deposits throughout. Great rainbow iridescence on some fragments.