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LOT 0022
Egyptian Bronze Horus Falcon on Shrine-Shaped Base
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-31 B.C.
5 7/8 in. (521 grams, 15 cm).
Naturalistically modelled falcon with incised feathers and detailing; standing on a shrine-shaped rectangular box with slightly battered sides and cornice moulding; inked note on the inside of each long side 'E.311' and 'Collection R.L.' respectively.
ProvenanceCollected between the 1950s-1990s.
Ex Roger Liechti (1934-2010) collection, Geneva, Switzerland.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12133-211848.
Cf. Davies, S., and Smith, H.S., The Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara. The Falcon Complex and Catacomb: The Archaeological Report, London, 2005, p.24 (no.FCO-478), pl.LXVIa, for a close parallel from one of the subterranean falcon mummy galleries at Saqqara.
FootnotesThis box almost certainly once contained the mummified remains of a falcon. The falcon was principally identified with the sun-god Horus, and associated with the living king. Numerous falcon cults existed throughout Egypt, but the most spectacular was found at Saqqara, where many thousands of birds were mummified and buried in an extensive complex of underground galleries.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Faience Bead Necklace String with Pectoral
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Restrung using long tubular beads interspersed with annular beads, two melon beads above a large pylon-shaped pectoral pendant with raised lip. 62 grams, 65 cm
From the vendor's grandfather's collection, formed in the 1950s; thence by family descent circa 1974. -
Egyptian Diorite Shell-Shaped Bowl
Early Dynastic-Old Kingdom, circa 3100-2181 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
Sculpted as one half of a bivalve shell with thin lip to outer edge; repaired; mounted on a custom-made stand. 713 grams total, 19.5 cm wide
Ex Mayfair gallery collection, London, UK, pre 1999. -
Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph Print
1820 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Willemin - Thèbes - Hypogées - Manuscrit sur papyrus en caractères hiéroglyphiques. Quatrième partie - Proof etching on laid paper of plate 75 from La Description de l’Égypte: Antiquités, Volume II: Commission des sciences et arts d’Égypte with later backing sheet. 360 grams, 130 x 87 cm (sheet)
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 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 papyrus manuscript was recovered from the underground chambers (hypogea). The original papyrus is now held in the Bibliothèque Nationale (1-19), Paris (Papyrus Cadet).
