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LOT 0011
Egyptian Blue-Glazed Faience Chalice
EARLY THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1050 B.C.
5 in. (104 grams, 12.5 cm high).
A blue-glazed faience chalice representing the blue lotus flower with a tall, flaring cup rounded at the base, short stem with a flared foot; held in a lockable wooden presentation box with key; restored.
ProvenanceAcquired from Dr Jan Beekmans, circa 1982.
UK private collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11599-198342.
Cf. The British Museum, museum number EA4801 'Blue glazed composition (faience) drinking-cup, in the form of a stemmed lotus flower', for similar; cf. The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 26.7.972, for similar; Walters Art Gallery, inventory no.48.416, for similar.
FootnotesIt is thought that blue lotus chalices served cultic or votive roles in temples or in offering rituals to the dead, and the white lotus versions were used as drinking vessels. Called Seshen by the ancient Egyptians, the blue lotus symbolised solar concepts surrounding rebirth- possibly because its flowers open their petals in the morning and close them again at night. Given this connection, it is not surprising to find that the lotus features prominently in ancient Egyptian funerary art, in banqueting scenes honouring the dead and in bouquets adorning the coffin and its bier. It is thought that the petals were used to make perfume and that the ancient Egyptians exploited the lotus's narcotic properties and added its extracted essence to wine to enhance the pleasurable effects of the drink, as can be seen in banqueting scenes.
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 Veined Alabaster Footed Cup
New Kingdom, 1550-1070 B.C.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
A piriform veined alabaster cup with everted rim and small foot. 56.7 grams, 57 mm high
Fine condition.
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Egyptian Bronze Goddess Bastet as Seated Cat
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
A bronze figure of the cat goddess Bastet, squatting poised and alert with her tail wrapped close to right side of her body, seated on a tongue-shaped base, short lug below; accompanied by a custom-made display base. 137 grams total, 10 cm high including stand
Acquired 1980s. Private collection of L.H., Staffordshire, UK. Property of a Sussex, UK, teacher.
Bastet was a powerful goddess of Lower Egypt, one who was protective and could bring about great prosperity. Cat statuettes were among some of the most common zoomorphic dedications of the Late and Ptolemaic Periods. Small statuettes like this one would have been dedicated as offerings to temples or deposited in catacombs alongside cat mummies, as at the extensive catacombs at Bubastis and Saqqara. Sometimes larger hollow examples held a cat mummy inside. -
Egyptian Amethyst Scarab Group
Graeco-Roman Period, 332 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
A group of two amethyst scarabs pierced for suspension, each with simple detailing to the wings, head and legs. 1.12 grams total, 8-9 mm
Acquired 1980s. Private collection of L.H., Staffordshire, UK. Property of a Sussex, UK, teacher.
