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LOT 0030
Egyptian Anubis Staff Terminal
1ST CENTURY B.C.- 2ND CENTURY A.D.
5 in. (223 grams, 12.7 cm high).
A bronze staff or sceptre terminal formed as a priest of Anubis with jackal's head and human body, standing and wearing a tightly-draped toga with right hand extended in a fist; square base and socket to the underside.
ProvenancePrivate collection, since 1989.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11604-199678.
Cf. The British Museum, museum number EA36064 'Solid-cast copper alloy figure of Anubis wearing a short robe and holding a palm branch', for a comparable figure of this broad period; see Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p.46-7, for discussion; see also, Tiradritti, F., The Cairo Museum Masterpieces of Egyptian Art, London, 1999, p. 401, for a slightly more elaborate bronze staff terminal of Anubis as a Roman legionnaire (Cairo Museum inv. no. CG27694).
FootnotesAnubis was the ancient Egyptian god of the dead - represented in jackal form or in the form of a jackal-headed man - and one of ancient Egypt's most iconic deities. Originally god of the underworld, he was eventually associated more specifically with the embalming process and funerary rites. His fur was generally depicted as black owing to the association of that colour with fertility and beliefs regarding rebirth in the afterlife.
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A lapis lazuli amuletic scarab with the falcon head of Ra with lappet headdress and broad collar; ribbed loop to the underside for suspension 6.9 grams, 25 mm
UK art market, prior 2000. English private collection.
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Egyptian Shabti of Psamtek
Late Period, 27th-30th Dynasty, circa 525-343 B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
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Egyptian Faience Figure of Thoth
26th Dynasty, 664-525 B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,000
A pale green glazed composition figure of Thoth in ibis-head form, plain dorsal pillar, pleated kilt, tripartite wig; old collector's inked accession number 'E.1000' to the reverse; repaired. 44.7 grams, 88 mm high
Ex Roger Liechti collection, Geneva, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11595-199013.
One of the most prominent of the ancient Egyptian gods, Thoth was associated with writing, magic and wisdom, and was credited with founding a number of branches of knowledge including law, religion and science. He is believed to have been self-created or grown from the seed of Horus from the forehead of Set. As the son of the gods of order and chaos, he was also the god of equilibrium. As such, he was considered a just and infallible judge. Worshipped from the Pre-Dynastic to the Ptolemaic Period, Thoth was one of the longest, continuously worshipped gods from any civilisation. Thoth's Egyptian name was Djehuty (also dhwty) meaning ‘He Who is Like the Ibis’, a sacred bird in ancient Egypt as well as a popular pet associated with wisdom.