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LOT 0002
Egyptian Bifacial Magical Stela with Bes
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 280-180 B.C
4 1/2 in. (450 grams total, 11.6 cm high including stand).
Upper portion of an arch-top limestone stele fragment with two dressed faces; the obverse lunette features a winged sun disc flanked by uraei and two partial rows of incised pseudo-hieroglyphs below; the reverse displays the head of the god Bes in high relief, with traces of the head of the young Horus immediately below, who would have been depicted grasping the two partially preserved snakes and a scorpion carved in raised relief to the right; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceFrossart Collection, France, by the 19th century.
Private collection, London, UK.
Cf. Sternberg-El Hotabi, H., Untersuchungen zur Überlieferungsgeschichte der Horusstelen (2 parts), Ägyptologische Abhandlungen 62, Wiesbaden, 1999, part 2, pp. 25, 139, pl. XVIII, for a similarly arranged cippus, now in Edinburgh (inv. no. A.1955.179).
FootnotesAlthough fragmentary, this stela is easily recognisable as a Horus cippus or magical stela. They were used to heal ailments caused by snake or scorpion venom. Ancient Egyptians believed that water poured over these cippi would turn into a healing liquid that the afflicted could drink or apply to their bodies.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Faience Eye of Horus in Gold Pendant
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Comprising a turquoise-glazed wedjat amulet set in a 14-carat gold pendant mount. 1.09 grams, 14 mm
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The wedjat-eye amulet (also called the Eye of Horus) became one of the most recognisable symbols in ancient Egyptian culture. It signifies protection, healing, and restoration. In myth, Horus lost his eye during his battle with Seth, and it was later magically restored, symbolising healing and the return to wholeness. The Eye of Horus came to embody divine power and protection, and was often used in amulets to safeguard and promote well-being.
