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_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Black Hardstone Sphinx")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Black Hardstone Sphinx")
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LOT 0473
Egyptian Black Hardstone Sphinx
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 500-31 B.C.
2 in. (74 grams total, 50 mm long including base).
An Egyptian or Graeco-Roman hardstone female sphinx modelled in the round, sitting on a sub-rectangular base, her hair tied in a bun on the top of her head, circular socket to the top face behind the head; mounted on a custom-made antique wooden display base.
ProvenanceFrom Saqqara in the late 1960s.
With John Cummings, Lincolnshire, UK, 1990s.
Acquired 20 May 1997.
Property of a South Oxfordshire private collector.
Accompanied by an original invoice no.6469 dated 20 May 1997.
Accompanied by a scholarly note by Egyptologist Paul Whelan.
Cf. a heavily worn steatite(?) winged sphinx, dated to 90-10 B.C., was found at Meroe and is now in The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, inv.no.22-1-609.
FootnotesThis type of sphinx amulet is quite rare in Egypt, for instance, the vast output and variety of amulets identified from the Late Period industrial-scale workshops at Naukratis does not include three-dimensional winged sphinxes, only their image impressed in scarabs, suggesting that this example may have been an import and/or once the possession of a Greek person in Egypt.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Animal Birthing Diorama
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Opening Bid: £2,500
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Such models would have been deposited in tombs; the purpose of such a scene was probably to evoke the season of spring, when calves were born, and the floodplain where farmers lived and raised their livestock. -
Egyptian Blue Glazed Ra Amulet
Late New Kingdom, circa 1550-1070 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
A blue glazed composition figure of the advancing god Ra (possibly Ra-Horakhty), falcon-headed and wearing a sun disc, set on an integral rectangular base, left leg positioned in front of the right, arms held straight by his sides, wearing a wig and kilt; tapering pillar with suspension loop behind solar disc; repaired. 18.4 grams, 87 mm high
Acquired from Dr Jan Beekmans, circa 1982. UK private collection.
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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.
