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LOT 0503
Egyptian Blue Glazed Faience Shabti
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
4 1/4 in. (72 grams, 10.7 cm).
With dorsal pillar, hands folded across the chest holding a pick and hoe, with a front panel of faintly impressed hieroglyphic text. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx M.S. Ciappara collection, Norfolk, UK, 1939-1950.
LiteratureCf. von Droste zu Hülsdorf, V. and Schlick-Nolte, B., Ägyptische Bildwerke II: Statuetten, Gefässe und Geräte, Melsungen, 1990, pp.167-169, no. 81, for the type.
FootnotesShabti figures were created to carry out heavy manual tasks on behalf of a person in the afterlife. They were often depicted with tools in their hands, such as baskets, mattocks, and hoes. Over time, the number of shabtis in a standard elite burial increased, from one in the Eighteenth Dynasty to several in the Nineteenth Dynasty, to one for every day of the year by the Third Intermediate Period. The number of shabtis remained in the hundreds during the Late Period.
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Egyptian Faience Wadj Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Square-section wadj papyrus stalk amulet surmounted by a ram's head wearing the Atef crown; the front inscribed with ankh (life) and renpet (year) hieroglyphs. 1.92 grams, 39 mm
From the collection of Doctor Girard, a collector for over 60 years. with Hotel des Ventes de Clermont-Ferrand, 22 May 2017. Property of a French collector.
The papyrus column or wadj amulet is typically made out of turquoise feldspar or faience, as is prescribed in the Book of the Dead. The word wadj, meaning “green”, evokes concepts of well-being and vitality. Papyrus amulets were often placed around the neck of the deceased to ensure eternal youth in the afterlife. The ram's head is associated with the god Amun and the Atef crown with Osiris, ruler of the Underworld. -
Foot of an Egyptian Mummy
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
Preserved left foot from a mummy with bones (calcaneus and navicular) visible at the rear, phalanges; mounted in a sturdy glass display case. 753 grams total, 21.2 x 9.2 x 10 cm including box
Acquired from a licenced dealer in Cairo, Egypt, prior to 1975. On loan to Walton Primary School as an educational exhibit circa 2001. Property of a private collector, Walton on the Naze, UK.
Please note that this item is for collection only. -
Egyptian Faience Djed Pillar Amulet Group
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Each a square-section column with flared base, transverse ribs, pierced at the top. 1.29 grams total, 23 mm each
From the collection of Doctor Girard, a collector for over 60 years. with Hotel des Ventes de Clermont-Ferrand, 22 May 2017. Property of a French collector.
The djed pillar signifies the concepts of 'enduring' and 'stability' and was a common funerary amulet from the Old Kingdom onwards. It was first associated with the gods Ptah and Sokar but later became a symbol of Osiris, representing the god's backbone. In this context, the djed pillar appears in Chapter 155 of the Book of the Dead, concerned with the deceased's resurrection.
