Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History & Coins

Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and a suspension loop to the back. 0.54 grams, 8 mm



Ex French art market, 1920s.

The goddess Bastet was believed to be the daughter of the sun god and was shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C., when she was first portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra, she was associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye, which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred during the New Kingdom, but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She was still associated with the destructive power of the sun and was shown on the prow of the solar boat, decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are obvious in Bastet, and she was seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts, she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god; the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and, in a text from Karnak, Amenhotep II described his enemies being slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak, where she is known as the 'Lady of Asheru', which aligns her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region, at Bubastis, and was known as Per-Bastet or 'the House of Bastet.' Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at Bubastis, and at Saqqara and Memphis.

Bastet in crouching pose with her tail wrapped close to right side of her body, seated on a tongue-shaped base, with a suspension loop on the creature’s back. 90 grams, 55 mm



Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA.

A finely made, coil-formed Nile silt clay, red-polished pottery vessel with elongated ovoid body, pointed base, rounded shoulder, and narrowing neck widening to a slightly everted rim; the upper section blackened through inverted firing, creating the characteristic black-topped finish of Upper Egyptian Predynastic ceramic production; the surface retaining a lustrous burnish with visible vertical polishing marks; accompanied by a display stand. 3.67 kg total, 40 cm (40.5 cm high including stand)



with Joe Gerena Fine Arts, New York, USA. Collection of Erich Spangenberg, Texas, 1980s. Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd, New York, USA. Wyvern Collection, acquired from the above on 20 March 2018. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13349-256959.

This is an exceptionally large Naqada II black-topped vessel; comparable large examples generally measure approximately 33–37 cm (e.g., Aberdeen Museums ABDMS003532, 36.5 cm; British Museum EA30966, 33.6 cm; National Museum of Ireland 1899:311, 36 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art 36.1.2, 35 cm), although most examples are significantly smaller. Black-topped vessels were hand-made from finely prepared Nile silt clay, often tempered and coated with a red hematite slip. Larger examples frequently took the form of hes-jars with tapered or pointed bases and narrowing necks and vases with rather more torpedo-like bodies, like this example, while others were made as beakers or wide bowls. Experimental studies suggest that the vessels were fired inverted, with their openings buried in sawdust or other organic material, producing the characteristic blackened rim and interior. After firing, their surfaces were carefully burnished to a high polish, leaving visible polishing marks. These vessels were used mainly in ritual and funerary contexts for the presentation and pouring of liquid offerings. Found chiefly in higher-status burials and cultic deposits, their distinctive red-and-black colour scheme was probably associated with Egyptian concepts of death, regeneration, and cyclical renewal, making them especially appropriate for funerary ceremonies and ritual activities.

The reddish granite base and lower part of a kneeling statue of Prince Parahirwenemef, preserving the feet and lower legs with finely detailed sandals and well-modelled toes; part of the kilt survives, with a line of sunken hieroglyphs on either side; a broad front pillar and narrower back pillar rise from the base, both inscribed, while hieroglyphic inscriptions continue around all four sides of the plinth; the mirrored base inscriptions comprise offering formulae invoking Amun-Ra on behalf of the prince together with a series of his royal and military titles, including "royal scribe", "overseer of horses", "troop commander", "group marshaler", and the previously unattested title tpy n mšꜥ ("chief of troops"); a separate inscription on the rear of the plinth names the noblewoman Wadjet-khayty as sn.t=f mr=f ("his sister/wife, his beloved"), providing the first substantial evidence for her relationship with the prince and strongly suggesting that she was his wife 140 kg, 58.5 cm



Private collection of Mr A., acquired circa 1983-1984. Thence by descent, private collection since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12887-241732. An article on this significant piece is currently being prepared by Egyptologist Paul Whelan.

Prince Parahirwenemef, the third son of Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari, is depicted in several relief scenes and two colossal statues associated with Ramesses II's temples, as well as in two smaller statues, both surviving only in fragmentary form. The inscriptions on this previously unrecorded statue base preserve the previously unattested military title tpy n mšꜥ ("chief of troops"), expanding the known titulary of Parahirwenemef and reinforcing his close association with the Ramesside chariot corps. The monument also provides the first substantial evidence concerning the noblewoman Wadjet-khayty, previously known only from a brief reference to a lost Karnak monument, strongly supporting her identification as the prince's wife. Together, the inscriptions make an important contribution to the study of Ramesside royal genealogy, military administration, and princely sculpture.

Lentoid body with segmented collars and blue detailing around the shoulders, neck with papyrus stalk detailing and a domed rim; addorsed stylised baboons flanking the neck. 263 grams, 16 cm



Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13350-255452.

The concept of renewal is expressed through the form, decoration, and inscriptions of this type of flask. Their rounded bodies evoke the sun disc, symbolising daily rebirth, while the squatting baboons flanking the mouth allude to those that greeted the rising sun each morning. The blue collar decoration, including floral motifs, as seen here, symbolises the renewal of the agricultural cycle through the annual Nile inundation. The papyrus-capital spout reinforces this theme of regeneration. Although traditionally dated exclusively to the 26th Dynasty, examples recovered from Late Period and early Ptolemaic contexts indicate that their popularity actually endured for several centuries.

Piriform jar with wide, flat rim and short neck, narrow neck and flat base. 1.2 kg, 15.5 cm



Ex Becker collection, 1920s. Private collection, Los Angeles, USA, 1990s. Private European collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12576-232111.

Three forms of serpentine were mainly used by the ancient Egyptians for stone vessels: a) green or grey serpentine with black veins; b) translucent green serpentine with black patches; c) granular black serpentine with intermixed grey or brown granules. Type a) Serpentine, i.e. the green or grey one with black veins, has the longer time range, and was used for vessels from the Predynastic Period (Naqada II) through the New Kingdom. It was used for stone vessels, but also became common for statuettes and small toilet vessels. The class of green glazed kohl pots, many with carved or openwork decoration which are usually called ‘glazed steatite’ were more likely to be made of serpentine. The type here represented is a form known in the New Kingdom: a bag-shaped jar with neck, flat base, and wide thin rim. Similar vessels have been found in Thebes, Amarna, Kahun, among the other localities.

Fragment of a statue of an official, comprising the torso and legs clad in an ankle-length robe and seated on a rectangular-section seat with stepped base and short, curved backrest and rear dorsal pillar; the left hand carved with the palm resting along the thigh; the right hand similarly placed but with the hand gripping a folded piece of cloth of which the ends are draped over the lower thigh above the knee; traces of an old label to reverse. 4.1 kg, 18.7 cm



Private collection, Europe. with Bonhams & Brooks, 8th November 2001, no.265. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams & Brooks catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12584-232097.

The official would have been shown wearing a longer cloak-like garment rather than a waist-height kilt, as the line of the folded edge is visible above where a waistband would typically be.

Modelled in the round in a crouching pose on a rectangular base; the beard modelled in hanks with curled ends, the eyes recessed to accept inserts, mouth gaping; animal head amulet on the chest suspended on a cord; socket to reverse; chipped. 942 grams, 18.5 cm



Bonhams, London, 4 July 1995, no.36. Private collection, New York, USA. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13294-255443.

From the New Kingdom onwards, Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance, Bes served as the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and was also believed to shield them from snakes.

Modelled with a rounded wig and sidelock; painted black detailing to the eyes, lips, collar and agricultural tools held in the crossed hands; painted vertical panel to lower body with hieroglyphic legend “The illuminated one, the Osiris, the sem priest, the great director of craftsmen, Hor, justified” (sḥḏ wsı͗r sm wr ḫrp(w) ḥmw(w)t ḥr mꜣꜥ-ḫrw); repaired. 146 grams, 13.8 cm



Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA.

Although the inscription names the owner as Hor, it seems likely that this shabti was made for a high official named Hori. Several sem priests named Hori are known. It seems plausible that this shabti belonged to the Hori who was the son of Prince Khaemwaset, son of Ramesses II, since a similar example was found alongside those of the prince in a chamber in the Serapeum (Mariette, A., Le Sérapéum du Memphis, Paris, 1857, pl. 10).

In brownish-black and white faience with black detailing, depicted wearing a round wig featuring a side-lock, the white face displaying eyes, eyebrows, nostrils, and a short beard in black; the arms crossed, and the white-glazed hands (one missing) holding hoes; a slightly raised white-glazed frontal panel containing a column of hieroglyphic text reading: 'The Osiris, the sem (priest), the King's Son, Khaemwaset, True of Voice'. 103 grams, 12.7 cm



Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA.

Khaemwaset was the fourth son of Ramesses II, born to Queen Iset-Nofret. In addition to serving as the Sem-priest of Ptah at Memphis from an early age, he held various titles related to the Memphite cult, including High Priest of Ptah. The side-lock featured on all of Khaemwaset's shabtis is associated with his priestly role. Many shabtis of the prince are known, with the largest single group coming from the Serapeum at Saqqara; however, others have been found in numerous other locations. Since Khaemwaset's tomb has yet to be discovered, it appears that most of the known shabtis may have served as votive offerings in the sacred areas of the Memphite necropolis. His faience shabtis come in various colours, including green, blue, white, and black, and range in size from just under 10 cm to 15 cm in height. The distinctive glaze combination of this example, featuring a raised white-glazed panel contrasting with the darker body colour, is also found on some other 19th Dynasty shabtis (Cf. Janes, G., The Shabti Collections 3: Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service, Cheshire, 2011, pp.1-5, for those of Userhat from Sedment).

Modelled standing with arms held vertically at his sides, wearing a tripartite wig surmounted by a lotus flower flanked by scrolled leaves; dorsal pillar with low-relief image of Sekhmet in lioness-headed form and solar disc above; mounted on a custom-made stand. 480 grams total, 19.5 cm high including stand



with Art Ancient, London, UK. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13352-257009.

Nefertum is often depicted with a prominent lotus blossom above his head, symbolising both his divine beauty and his connection to the sun's rejuvenating power. He is sometimes portrayed with a lion's head or a lioness’s mane, or, as here, accompanied by an image of his lioness mother, Sekhmet, on his back, emphasising his link to her fierce and healing powers.

Pyramidal in form with shallow-carved hip and facial detailing. 537 grams, 81 mm



with Artemis Gallery, Munich, Germany, 2001. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12580-232124.

The frog had a great role in ancient Egyptian mythology and was connected with the mythology of creation. A number of gods and goddesses were connected with the frog such as Heqet, Ptah, and Heh. The connection with the god Ptah as a god of creation was probably due to the idea that Ptah was the only god who created the world in ancient Egypt through his heart and his tongue. Every work of the god came about through what his heart devised and his tongue commanded. Frogs were often associated with Hekat, deity of birth and fecundity. Amulets of frogs were frequent votive gifts at such Predynastic and Archaic sites at Abydos, Naqada, and Saqqara.