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LOT 0033
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.
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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Egyptian Bronze Harpokrates Statuette
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Devotional figurine of Harpokrates seated with his hand raised to his mouth, wearing a nemes headdress with curled side lock, topped by an elaborate hem-hem crown characteristic of the god. 59 grams, 10.7 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
Harpokrates is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian name Hor-pa-khered, which means ‘Horus the Child’. This name refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. Wearing an amulet of Harpokrates was believed to offer the same protection that Isis granted to her beloved son. Larger bronze statuettes like this example were likely votive offerings to Harpokrates to secure his favour and protection. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Reliefs at Esna
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 79 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 Esné (Latopolis) Zodiaque sculpté au plafond du portique. 187 grams, 105 x 70 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 Temple of Khnum at Esna in Upper Egypt has elements from the New Kingdom, but most of it dates to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. This elaborate zodiac dates to the reign of Ptolemy III. -
Large Mounted Egyptian Coptic Textile Pair with Animals
Mid 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Pair of decorative tunic strips (clavi) ending with circular decorations (orbiculi), red, green and yellow wool, S-twist tapestry, decorated with two rows of lions alternating with vegetal elements running in a contrasting manner. 434 grams total, mount: 1.21 m
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
Among the many fragments of wool tunics are several long strips that match to form nearly full-length central pectoral clavi. They are patterned with a profusion of small figures or interlaced abstract designs, birds, plants and animals with a contrasting border filled with geometric motifs.
