Loading, please wait...
LOT 0460
Egyptian Alabaster Bowl with Thickened Rim
3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/4 in. (177 grams, 82 mm).
Comprising a squat conical body with narrow foot, groove beneath the thickened rim.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. El-Khouli, A., Egyptian Stone Vessels: Predynastic Period to Dynasty III, vol.3, London, 1974, pl. 81, no. 2181, for a vessel of similar form.
FootnotesOne of the most prestigious materials the Egyptians extracted was alabaster, more correctly referred to as travertine or calcite-alabaster. From the 1st through 3rd Dynasties, stone vessels were very popular items to include in the burials of pharaohs and nobles. No fewer than 30,000 stone vessels were found in the labyrinthine galleries below Djoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara, and Egyptian alabaster was used to make hundreds of those vessels.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Egyptian Glass Heart Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £910
Modelled in the round with ribbed loop to the underside, carapace and leg detailing. 6.49 grams, 24.6 mm
Ex London and Home Counties collection, UK, 1920-1940. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Travertine Kohl Jar and Lid
Middle Kingdom-early New Kingdom, 12th-early 18th Dynasty, circa 1985-1479 B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £833
Piriform vessel with flared foot and wide rim, discoid lid with raised central panel to verso. 355 grams, 65 mm
Ex Galerie Nefer, Zurich, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Silver Bastet as Seated Cat Amulet
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 0.34 grams, 8 mm
From an early 20th century collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets offered the wearer the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was usually shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring.
