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LOT 0065
Egyptian Bronze Mirror with Wooden Handle
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH-20TH DYNASTY, 1550-1070 B.C.
11 3/8 in. (766 grams total, 29 cm high including stand).
The rounded cylindrical handle narrowing towards the base and decorated with three horizontal bands; the circular, heavy bronze mirror highly polished and relatively small; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
Provenancewith Rupert Wace, Ancient Art, 2003.
Private collection, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13517-263432.
Cf. Christie's, 7 December 2006, no.21, for a near-identical example; for a mirror with a similar club handle dating to the New Kingdom, see E. Brovarski, S. K. Doll and R. A. Freed (eds.), Egypt's Golden Age: The Art of Living in the New Kingdom, 1558-1085 BC, Boston, 1982, p. 188, fig.219; Vandier d’Abbadie, J., Les objets de toilette égyptiens au Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1972, pp. 169-170, no. 756, for a similar mirror and handle; 180, 182, for examples of hem handles.
FootnotesThe club-type handle resembles the hieroglyph hem, which can mean 'servant'. Therefore, the handle is thought to represent the mirror disc's servant. This type appears in pictorial scenes; for example, a similar smaller disc mirror with a hem handle is depicted in the Theban tomb (TT 60) of Senet (Davies, N.de G., The Tomb of Antefoker, Vizier of Sesostris I, and of His Wife, Senet, London 1930, pl. 30), and another with a larger disc and a shorter hem handle is depicted on the inside of the coffin of Sebeka (Steindorff, G., Grabfunde des mittleren Reichs in den königlichen Museen zu Berlin. Part 2: Der Sarg des Sebk.-o.- ein Grabfund aus Gebelen, Berlin, 1896, 2, pl. 2).
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LOT 0065
Egyptian Bronze Mirror with Wooden Handle
Estimate £4,000 - 6,000€4,640 - 6,960 (for guidance only)$5,400 - 8,100 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£2,000 (EUR 2,320; USD 2,700) +BP*
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Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Shabti of Wedjahor
Late Period, 26th Dynasty, 664-525 B.C.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Mummiform figure wearing a plain tripartite wig with horizontal line detailing at the lappet ends, a braided false beard, a finely modelled face, arms crossed with the left hand holding a pick and the right a hoe, and a tightly twisted cord of a long rectangular seed bag, which hangs over the left shoulder; seven horizontal bands of hieroglyphs on the body, with an eighth on the foot, and more entirely filling the dorsal pillar, giving Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead; with a display stand bearing the legend 'Ushabti of Wedjahor XXVI Dyn'. 63.9 grams, 10.9 cm (81.2 grams total, 12.6 cm including stand)
Acquired at Michael's, Crawford Street, 6th January 1960, £3:5:0 for two. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. Accompanied by an old handwritten information card by Peter Clayton, collection no.69A. -
Egyptian Style Terracotta Bes Figure
Early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £20 - 30 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Standing on a pillar and wearing a feather crown, his hands resting on his knees, large protruding ears and a grimacing expression. 151 grams, 13.3 cm
Acquired in Luxor, Egypt. From a private collection formed in the 1930s. -
Egyptian Faience Scaraboid Frog Amulet with Ankh
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £60
Modelled in the round, crouching on a rectangular base, incised ankh to the underside. 0.48 grams, 11 mm
From an important UK collection, 1940s.
Frog amulets in ancient Egypt symbolised fertility, rebirth, and renewal. Associated with the goddess Heqet, linked to childbirth and life-giving forces, they were especially popular for fertility and for protection during pregnancy and labour. Their association with the annual Nile flood, which brought new life to the land, further emphasised their symbolism of revival and abundance. The ancient Egyptian ankh hieroglyph on the amulet's base, meaning "life," reinforces the creature's symbolism.
