69 - A EGYPTIAN NECKLACE WITH MULTICOLORED FAIENCE, CARNELIAN AND AGATE BEADS

A EGYPTIAN NECKLACE WITH MULTICOLORED FAIENCE, CARNELIAN AND AGATE BEADS Middle Kingdom to Late Period, circa 1800-600 BC. Finely assembled, the necklace composed of densely strung multicolored faience disc beads on a brown cord, the lower section interspersed with eight green hardstone disc beads, two rounded carnelian beads, and centered by a large, barrel-shaped agate bead. Provenance: The private collection of Lloyd and Jeanne Raport, Washington DC and Florida, USA, acquired between 1972-2000, and thence by descent. Lloyd and Jeanne Raport (1928-2025) were collectors of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities whose interest in ancient art developed during the 1960s. Largely self-taught, they studied auction catalogues and reference works extensively and formed a close friendship with archaeologist Dr. Gus W. Van Beek (1922–2012), curator of Old World Archaeology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. Their interest in archaeology also led them to participate in a Smithsonian excavation at Tell Jemmeh in the Negev Desert, Israel. Over several decades, the Raports assembled a substantial collection while also becoming generous supporters of museums and universities. Beginning in 1984, they donated works to numerous institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Brooklyn Museum. The University of Maryland received more than 130 antiquities from the Raport Collection, forming an important study collection for teaching and research. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. The beads restrung on a modern brown cord. Expected wear, signs of weathering and erosion, minor nicks, losses, discoloration, few encrustations. Weight: 17 g Dimensions: Length 86.5 cm Bead necklaces were among the most enduring forms of personal adornment in ancient Egypt, worn in daily life and also placed with the dead, where they could carry protective and regenerative significance. Their compositions ranged from simple strings of faience beads to more elaborate combinations incorporating carnelian, amethyst, agate, quartz, and other semi-precious stones, creating varied arrangements of color, texture, and shape. Faience was especially valued for its brilliant blue and green hues, which evoked precious materials such as turquoise and lapis lazuli and were closely associated with fertility, renewal, and eternal life. Such necklaces could therefore function simultaneously as ornaments, expressions of status, and amuletic objects, a tradition already well established by the Middle Kingdom and continuing through later periods of Egyptian history. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related string of faience disc beads, Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 12-early Dynasty 13, 51.7 cm long, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 08.200.42b. Compare also a group of ancient Egyptian beaded necklaces composed of shells, faience, and gessoed wood in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 11 December 2003, lot 352 Price: USD 2,629 or approx. EUR 4,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian faience bead necklace, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX-XX Expert remark: Compare the closely related combination of numerous small disc beads interspersed with larger contrasting beads. Note the smaller size (55.9 cm).