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LOT 0035
Egyptian Bronze Figure of a Shrew
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
1 7/8 in. (145 grams, 73 mm).
Modelled in the round in a crouching pose on a rectangular base with an attachment peg.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Roeder, G., Ägyptische Bronzefiguren II, Berlin, 1956, pl. 54g, for similar.
FootnotesThis figure most likely comes from a shrew coffin or votive statuette. The dwarf shrew (Crocidura nana) and Flower’s shrew (Crocidura floweri) were among many animal species buried in dedicated cemeteries across various parts of Egypt. Ironically, these tiny creatures symbolised Horus in his raptor-headed form — a figure who, in reality, would have preyed upon them. Shrews were associated with Khenty-irty, the “seeing-and-blind god,” due to their ability to navigate darkness. It may be possible to read the shrew’s symbolism as that of seeking light in darkness, representing the Egyptian belief in the deceased’s journey through the hours of the night before rebirth at dawn. Radiographic analysis of a bundle containing about twenty-one shrews shows that they were dried whole, with no evisceration, preserved by being ‘pickled’ in natron.
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Egyptian Alabaster Trussed Duck
Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, circa 2345-2181 B.C.Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,500
Carved in the round with the head and neck laid backwards along the spine; mounted on a custom-made stand. 890 grams total, 10 cm wide including stand
Acquired before 1970. Private French collection. with Bonhams, New Bond Street, London, 29 April 2009, lot 58. Ex Middle Eastern royal family, living in the UK, 2013-2017. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.099505. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000149104. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12942-245247.
In ancient Egypt, the duck (actually the Egyptian goose) was considered a sacred and very popular animal, often depicted in art and associated with symbolic meanings. It was a common bird in the Nile Valley and considered a symbol of fertility, life, and family, which is why it frequently appeared in scenes of daily life and rituals, and in the artworks. -
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
With textured detailing to wings and body, loop for suspension. 1.33 grams, 20 mm
From a gentleman's family collection, 2000s. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Plan of Cairo
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 50 from Vol .I of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Le Kaire. Plan particulier de la ville. 231 grams, 106 x 69.5 cm
From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The papyrus manuscript was recovered from the underground chambers (hypogea). The original papyrus is now held in the Bibliothèque Nationale (1-19), Paris (Papyrus Cadet).
