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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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Egyptian Mixed Scarab Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £585
Comprising (from left to right, top to bottom): 1) a scarab with an oval border containing the throne name of the 19th Dynasty pharaoh, Seti I (Men-Maat-Re); 2) a scarab with an oval outer border containing a continuous oblong scroll border framing a neb and ankh symbol; 3) a scarab with an oval border containing a seated adorant before a sa, water, and neb symbol; 4) a scarab with an oval border containing the throne name of the 19th Dynasty pharaoh, Ramesses II (User-Maat-Re), atop a neb sign; 5) a scarab with two signs, possibly representing the word for ‘bread’ above a goose, with a beer jar in front; 6) and a scaraboid with a stretched oval border containing mirrored pairs of rearing cobras surrounding a central sun disc. 18.64 grams total, 14-27 mm
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. -
Egyptian Blue Faience Clothing Mounts
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Group of rosette mounts, each plano-convex in profile with two attachment holes to the centre and pierced loops to the rim. 124 grams total, 25-30 mm
UK private collection, formed in the 1980s. 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 Blue Faience Scarab
Late Period, 7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,550
Comprising a crescentic plaque with central scarab modelled in the half-round, and lateral wings with hatched texturing; scarab with ribbing and other detailing; pierced in four places for attachment; accompanied by a custom-made stand. 22.3 grams, 10 cm wide (44 grams total, 10 cm wide including stand)
Acquired in the 1950-1990s. Mr C., Geneva, Switzerland. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12592-232170. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Winged scarabs were thought to ensure the rebirth and regeneration of the deceased, making them popular funerary amulets. This is a particularly fine example of a rarer one-piece amulet, as they are usually made from three separate elements.
