Egyptian Blue Amulet of Amun

Blue-glazed faience scarab beetle with detailed features; the underside is decorated with a recumbent jackal above a seated figure in an attitude of praise before two hieroglyphs, along with a slim neb sign below. 4.18 grams, 23 mm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, suspension loop on the back. 0.53 grams, 8 mm



From an early 20th century French collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The goddess Bastet was believed to be the daughter of the sun god and was shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she was first portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she was associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred during the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She was still associated with the destructive power of the sun and was shown on the prow of the solar boat, decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are obvious in Bastet and she was seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god; the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and, in a text from Karnak, Amenhotep II described his enemies being slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak, where she is known as the 'Lady of Asheru' which aligns her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region, at Bubastis, and was known as Per-Bastet or 'the House of Bastet.' Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at Bubastis and at Saqqara and Memphis.

Comprising a round-section tapering body with intricate scale detailing, the head resting on the body, detailed face with closed mouth and rounded eyes, an applied gold annulet with two granules above the head; part of the tail absent. 6.79 grams, 26.03 mm overall, 15.77 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4 3/4, Europe 8.69, Japan 8)



Ex Dr Leo Mildenberg, Zurich, 1990s. Acquired by Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, from the above in 1999. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Snake rings were not originally a traditional form in Egypt and only became common during the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods. Animal-shaped rings, including those with snake motifs, originated in Western Asia around the eighth century BC, spread to Greece by the fifth century BC, and were introduced to Egypt primarily through the Ptolemaic Period. In Greek culture, snakes were often linked to healing, though they likely carried other symbolic meanings as well.