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LOT 0507
Egyptian Black Hardstone Scarab
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 1/8 in. (17 grams, 29 mm).
Dark green hardstone with paler speckles; with a boldly carved head, clypeus, prothorax and elytra, and legs indicated at the sides; plain underside.
ProvenanceEx Irene Newman, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex, England.
with Stride & Son Auctioneers, Chichester, West Sussex, England, 23 April 2015, no.1599 [Part].
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Schulz, R., Seidel, M., Egyptian Art. The Walters Art Museum, Oakville, 2007, pl.18, cat. no. 126, for a similar example.
FootnotesThe scarab, which represented the dung beetle, was the most popular amulet in ancient Egypt for approximately two thousand years until the Ptolemaic Period when it gradually fell out of favour. The popularity of scarabs extended beyond the borders of Egypt, and they were also distributed and produced in other regions, such as Phoenicia and Israel. The beetle is named khepri, derived from the verb 'to come into existence', and was considered the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, who was self-engendered. The ancient Egyptians mistakenly believed that the young beetle emerging from the dung ball was the result of an act of self-creation.
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LOT 0507
Egyptian Black Hardstone Scarab
Estimate £350 - 450€410 - 520 (for guidance only)$470 - 610 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Painted Wooden Mask
Ptolemaic Period, circa 3rd century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
D-shaped in plan with carved facial detailing, thick nose and full lips; painted bands to brow pierced in three places for attachment. 1.04 kg, 30 cm
Swiss private collection, Zurich, assembled in the 1950s. Private collection. Acquired on the Zurich art market in 2013. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12847-241680. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Blue Amulet of Bes
Third Intermediate Period, circa 1069-735 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Modelled in the round, Bes standing nude with a lion's tail, wearing a feathered headdress. 4.13 grams, 44 mm
Archéologie; François de Ricqlès, Paris, 30 September-1 October 1996, no.322 (part). Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport, dated 30 September 1996. Accompanied by a copy of the François de Ricqlès invoice. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12630-235074. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
From the New Kingdom onwards, Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance, Bes served as the patron and protector of pregnant women and children, and was also believed to shield them from snakes. -
Egyptian Silver Bastet as Seated Cat Amulet
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 0.325 grams, 7 mm
Ex London, UK, art market, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets offered the wearer the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was usually shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring.
