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LOT 0458
Egyptian Amulet Collection
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
3/8 - 1/2 in. (1.56 grams total, 10-15 mm).
Comprising two crouching Bastet cat figures, a hare, a fly, and a simplified Anubis. [5, No Reserve]
Provenancewith Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983.
Ex private North American collection.
London private collection, 2016.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Alabaster Trussed Duck
Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, circa 2345-2181 B.C.Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,500
Carved in the round with the head and neck laid backwards along the spine; mounted on a custom-made stand. 890 grams total, 10 cm wide including stand
Acquired before 1970. Private French collection. with Bonhams, New Bond Street, London, 29 April 2009, lot 58. Ex Middle Eastern royal family, living in the UK, 2013-2017. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.099505. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000149104. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12942-245247.
In ancient Egypt, the duck (actually the Egyptian goose) was considered a sacred and very popular animal, often depicted in art and associated with symbolic meanings. It was a common bird in the Nile Valley and considered a symbol of fertility, life, and family, which is why it frequently appeared in scenes of daily life and rituals, and in the artworks. -
Egyptian Blue Faience Bastet Cat Amulet
New Kingdom, circa 1550-1070 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the back. 3.25 grams, 28 mm
Ex London gallery and Belinda Elliston, a member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, 1940s onwards.
In ancient Egypt, the cat was venerated as the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, whose principal cult centre was Bubastis in the Nile Delta. Although cats were once part of folk practice, their veneration as part of formal cults spread across Egypt during the Late Period. Bastet was closely linked to lion-headed goddesses like Sekhmet, Tefnut, and Pakhet, and the cat itself became associated with solar imagery: the Book of the Dead portrays the sun god as a Great Cat vanquishing Apophis beneath the sacred Ished Tree. The cat could also embody the Eye of the Sun or, more often in Bastet’s case, the Eye of the Moon. Mummified cats were frequently dedicated as votive offerings, and some of their feline-shaped coffins were adorned with finely crafted bronze heads to enhance their divine likeness. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
Circa 7th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
A fragment of a segmentum in linen and red, brown, yellow and blue wool, S torsion, embroidered with a female head and a goose. 10 grams total including package, 79 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
This is possibly a fragment from a tunic decoration, usually forming a part of bands on a red background, decorated with a series of motifs related to the Dionysian cult: usually depicting cherubs, fish, heads, palmettes, and figures of dancing puttoes within the orbiculi. The decorative motifs on these tunics were usually arranged vertically and horizontally.
