Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0011
Egyptian Bronze Khonsu Statuette with Silver Eyes
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
7 1/2 in. (378 grams total, 19 cm including stand).
Modelled in the round figure of Khonsu standing, holding the crook, flail, and long was-sceptre, with false beard and sidelock, wearing a crown consisting of a lunar crescent and disc with uraeus, and a broad collar; the eyes with sheet-silver inlays; mounted on a custom-made stand.
Provenance
Ex Geneva collection, Switzerland, acquired before 1980.
Ex Galerie Günter Puhze GmbH, Germany, 2008.
Ex Keane collection, Kent, UK.
Accompanied by an original invoice from Galerie Günter Puhze GmbH.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12628-235137.
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.
Literature
Cf. Daressy, G., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire N° 38001-39384 Statues de divinités, Cairo, 1906, pl. XXVIII (38.489), for a comparable figure in the Cairo Museum.
Footnotes
Khonsu is an ancient Egyptian god of the moon, often depicted as a young man with a sidelock, a uraeus, and headgear featuring a lunar crescent and disc. He is associated with Thoth, another moon god. Together with his father Amun and mother Mut, Khonsu forms the Theban Triad.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0011
Egyptian Bronze Khonsu Statuette with Silver Eyes
Estimate £4,000 - 6,000€4,640 - 6,960 (for guidance only)$5,400 - 8,100 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Phoenician Inscribed Bronze Scaraboid Seal
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Plain domed body pierced longitudinally, inscribed underside. 8.9 grams, 17 mm
Ex London, UK, gentleman, 1990. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Although it is difficult to make out for certain, the outer design appears to be composed of the 'a-n-r' hieroglyphs. The signs do not form a word and are thought to have been a decorative device used by Asiatic scarab makers, employing recognisably Egyptian hieroglyphs. -
Egyptian Mixed Scarab and Scaraboid Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Comprising (from left to right, top to bottom): 1) a scarab with an oval border containing a goose, nefer(?), and a reed leaf; 2) a scarab with an oval border featuring a triple lotus flower motif at the top and bottom, with a middle row of floral bundles; 3) a scaraboid with a long oval border containing a cross pattern incorporating scrolls, coiled cords, and floral elements; 4) a scarab with an oval border featuring a hes-jar flanked by two cobras; 5) a scarab with a standing male figure holding a sceptre/mace and a flail, flanked by two highly stylised rearing cobras; 6) a plain scarab; 7) and a scarab with an oval border containing the name Amun-Re, a neb symbol, and a lotus flower. 13 grams total, 11-23 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 Green Glazed Faience Figure of Somtous
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Modelled in the round, the nude seated figure of the child Somtous, with one hand to his lips and a prominent sidelock, emerging from a lotus flower; mounted on a custom-made stand. 39.7 grams total, 68 mm including stand
with Noriuchi Horiuchi, Tokyo, Japan. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above in 1993. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The earliest attestations of the cult of Somtous, known as Sematawy in ancient Egyptian, date back to the New Kingdom, although it became particularly popular during the Late Period. Associated with Horus (Horsomtous), the symbol of the child emerging from the lotus represented the (re)birth of the sun god. Thus, Somtous was regarded as a life-giving amuletic symbol, sometimes even referred to as 'Sematawy the child who gives life.'
