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_900x900.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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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 Copper Ring with the Name of Akhenaten
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, 1353-1336 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
A 'stirrup' type ring with a substantial oval-shaped bezel bearing the name of Pharaoh Akhenaten - Nefer-kheperu-re Wah-en-re; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 7.28 grams, 19.03 mm overall, 12.08 mm internal diameter
Acquired in the mid 1980s-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.
Akhenaten, an 18th Dynasty pharaoh (c. 1353-1336 BCE), introduced a major religious shift by promoting the Aten, the sun disc, as the sole god. Rejecting the traditional polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt, Akhenaten elevated the Aten above all other gods and even changed his name from Amenhotep (IV) to Akhenaten, meaning ‘Effective for the Aten’. He founded a new short-lived capital in Middle Egypt called Akhetaten. However, traditional polytheism was restored after his death, and his reforms were largely reversed. -
Egyptian Faience Scarab with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £211
Blue-glazed faience scarab beetle with detailed features; the underside is decorated with a recumbent jackal above a seated figure in an attitude of praise before two hieroglyphs, along with a slim neb sign below. 4.18 grams, 23 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 Faience Mummy Bead Face Mask with Sons of Horus
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Restrung; a netted beadwork panel of annular and tubular glazed composition beads in blues, greens, black, cream and red-brown colours, depicting a mummy face mask with false beard, a scarab with extended wings below, the 'Four Sons of Horus’ beneath the scarab, joined together with areas of open netting of tubular beads. 145 grams, 32 cm high
Acquired 1990s. Ex Mariaud des Serres, Paris, France. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The 'Four Sons of Horus' protected the internal organs of the deceased. Depicted from left to right: the falcon-headed Qebhesenuef protected the intestines; human-headed Imsety, the liver; baboon-headed Hapi, the lungs; jackal-headed Duamutef, the stomach.
