Egyptian and Other Faience Amulet and Bead Group

Modelled sleek and muscular in the round, the ears and eyes alert creating a dignified expression; piercings through the ears; hollow-formed; mounted on a custom-made display base. 629 grams total, 21.5 cm high including stand



Acquired from a French dealer, 1965. Swiss private collection. UK private collection, 1993. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11838-206398.

Possibly intended as a container for the mummified remains of a cat, or from a statuette of the goddess Bastet. The feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. In ancient Egypt, cats were the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet; such objects were often given as donations at her temples.

The upper frontal part of a child's garment, decorated on both sides with purple wool and linen stripes (clavi), running vertically on both sides of the tunic, and ornamented with running animals (hares), the edges of each clavus with crenellated border; selvedged on the upper part of the tunic and with a fringed lower border. 750 grams, 70 x 79 cm



Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.

Tunic decoration conformed to a specific layout with the back mirroring the front. Matching bands called clavi ran on either side of the neck. They could be full length, like in our specimen, or stop above the waistline.

Modelled in the round with naturalistic detailing, with head raised. 35 grams, 28 mm



‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.

This may be a weight, since small bronze statuettes of various animals including frogs were used as counterbalances on scales.