Egyptian 'Becker' Serpentine Vessel

Rectangular plaque with raised Tilapia fish motif on the top and six ring-and-dot motifs on the underside. 2.12 grams, 17 mm



Mrs Allinson to Mrs Foster, 1867 and thence by descent to the current owner, Stanley Crescent, London, UK.

Amulets depicting the Tilapia fish served as symbols of regeneration.

Proof etching on laid paper of plate 11 from Phillipeaux Thèbes - Medynet-Abou with Plan et Coupe Longitudinale du Temple et de ses Propylées 2.3 Plan et Coupe Longitudinale du Palais - Plan du pavillon. 240 grams, 105.5 x 70 cm



From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.

Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). Medinet Habu is the name given to the impressive mortuary temple built for Ramesses III. The walls are covered with scenes of religious and royal ceremonies, as well as battle scenes. An earlier temple and later tomb complexes are found within its impressive enclosure walls.

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.