Anti-Extinction and Friends of the Earth Vintage Pin Badge Collection

With spring arm to secure the candle, with raised tray feature. 687 grams, 36.5 cm



From a private collection. Ex Nic McElhatton, former chairman of Christie's South Kensington. Property of a Berkshire, UK, collector. Accompanied by copies of the relevant book pages where published. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Hollow-formed miniature of a sphinx couchant with forelegs extended, wearing the nemes crown and with tasseled braid placed along the spine; mounted on a wooden display stand. 1.44 kg total, 25 wide including stand



From the private collection of a S.W. London gentleman, acquired in the 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The most celebrated Sphinx in Egyptian mythology is the monument built near the pyramids as a protective symbol, to wish the pharaoh a peaceful afterlife. It has a leonine body and a human head. The Sphinx could be shown as male or female, depending on the pharaoh or queen it had to protect. The inclusion of sphinxes in temple complexes became a tradition lasting into the Roman period and Late Antiquity. Many pharaohs had their heads carved atop the guardian statues of their tombs, in part to show their close relationship with the powerful solar deity Sekhmet, a lioness. This cast bronze sphinx is a fine example of neoclassical sculptural art under the influence of Egyptomania and the renewed interest in the culture of ancient Egypt sparked by Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign from 1798. At a time when only few could afford a trip to Egypt during the peak of Egyptomania contact could be made with Egyptian culture through literature, architecture and art. Particularly influential were Vivant Denon’s Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Égypte, the Institute of Egypt's Description de l'Égypte, Robert Adams's interior decoration, Verdi’s Aida and the pedestal sphinxes protecting the obelisk of Tuthmosis III (Cleopatra's Needle).

Modelled in the round as a heraldic lion with all four legs splayed, tail looped to form a handle; socket and drip-tray supported in the lion's mouth. 354 grams, 10.9 cm



Found hidden in a barn at Scarlet's Farm, Cambridgeshire, UK. Property of an East Anglia private collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.