Egyptian Blue Glazed Hieroglyphic Shabti Fragment

Squat bowl with returned lip to the rim, incised ring to the centre. 749 grams, 21 cm wide



Acquired from Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS FBA (1853-1942), who had both found and repaired the piece; a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.

D-shaped in plan with carved facial detailing, thick nose and full lips; pierced in four places for attachment. 880 grams, 21.5 cm



Old mounting to the top. From a private estate, Suffolk, UK. Acquired from a UK antiques fair. Property of Mr E.D., a UK professional.

Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the back. 0.48 grams, 8 mm



From an early 20th century French collection.

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.