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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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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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Historic Collection of 678 Slides of Archaeological Sites in Egypt
1960s-1980s A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Housed in five linen-covered boxes, covering Tutankhamun furniture, Tombs of the Nobles, Lahun Hawara, Philae, and Nubia, etc. 4.1 kg total, 26.5 x 16.5 x 6.5 cm each box
Property of archaeologist Stephanie Gee, N.W. London, UK, 1960s-1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Stephanie Gee was a prominent archaeologist who took part in several expeditions in Egypt. She was a trusted assistant to the British-Australian archaeologist Veronica Seton-Williams, who excavated in Egypt, Britain, and the Near East. Stephanie also took part in the Tell El-Farâ'în expeditions of 1965-1968, and assisted Seton-Williams with preparing the 1966 expedition report. Their collaboration continued and Stephanie helped with the manuscript of Seton-Williams’ book ‘The Road to El-Aguzein’, a narrative account of her life that was first published in 1988. -
Egyptian Jasper Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Carved in the round resting on an oval base, striated body; pierced longitudinally. 0.88 grams, 14 mm
Ex London and Home Counties collection, UK, 1920-1940. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Egyptian artists often depicted fly whisks with pharaohs and officials, suggesting flies were just nuisances. In reality, Egyptians valued flies for their speed and persistence. Small fly amulets appeared around 3200 B.C. in Naqada II burials, gaining popularity and varying materials during the New Kingdom, including gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and gemstones. These amulets were thought to protect against insect bites and troublesome creatures via apotropaic magic and possibly symbolised fecundity. Pharaohs awarded gold fly-shaped pendants to honour soldiers' bravery in battle. -
Egyptian Mummy Shroud Section with Hieratic Text
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 480-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
A narrow strip of woven linen textile featuring two lines of neatly written hieratic text in black. 3.74 grams, 40 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
From the fifth century B.C., mummy wrappings often feature hieratic script—a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphs used for daily and religious texts. These include excerpts from funerary works like the Book of the Dead, alongside prayers meant to protect the deceased in the afterlife. Often with vignettes, these texts were inscribed directly on linen strips during the mummification. Some bandages were notably long; one from Brussels, 6.2 cm wide, measures an incredible 26 metres.
