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_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat")
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LOT 0030
Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
1 1/4 in. (40.4 grams, 33.6 mm high).
The head of goddess Bastet modelled in the round with alert ears and eyes, ears pierced; hollow-formed.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Roeder, G., Ägyptische Bronzefiguren II, Berlin, 1956, pl. 50 l and m, for comparable cat heads; Waziry, M., Vestiges of Ancient Egypt: The Bubasteion Votive Cachette at Saqqara, Houston, 2023, p. 68, fig. 19, for an example of a bronze cat head attached to carved wooden body, discovered at the cult centre of Bastet at Saqqara.
FootnotesThe feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. It was probably attached to a statuette of a cat, whose body may have been crafted from wood.
The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets provided the wearer with the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was typically shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of her offspring.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0030
Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Gold Uraeus Amulet
Late New Kingdom, 1279-1070 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
Depicting a rearing cobra sporting a sun disc with its coiled body below resting on the hieroglyphic neb sign. 0.38 grams, 11 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. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Amulet of Nephthys
Late Period, 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Depicting the goddess Nephthys wearing the two hieroglyphic parts of her name (Neb(et)-Hut), with dorsal pillar and base. 2.68 grams, 37 mm
with B.M.S., Switzerland. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above on 14 September 1981. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Nephthys was a protective goddess linked to mourning, magic, and the afterlife. As the sister of Isis, she played a vital role in the funerary rites of Osiris. Amulets like this were placed on the deceased to invoke her protection and aid in rebirth. Typically made of faience or semi-precious stone, they were especially common in the Late Period. -
Egyptian Pink Quartz Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Carved with deep sides and carapace detailing to the upper face, pierced. 19.82 grams, 33 mm
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
