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LOT 0005
Egyptian Bronze Per-Medjed Oxyrhynchus Fish
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
4 1/8 in. (271 grams, 10.6 cm).
The fish displayed atop a shrine on a hollow rectangular base; attached by ventral and pectoral fins, remains of forked tail; dorsal ridge; tapering nose; recessed circular eyes; horned sun disc headdress with coiled cobra to base; figure of a worshipping priest kneeling beneath.
ProvenanceAcquired in Europe before 1990.
Private collection, Europe.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11833-206796.
Cf. The British Museum, museum number EA65682, for a comparable example; Tiribilli, E., The bronze figurines of the Petrie Museum from 2000 BC to AD 400, London, 2018, p.229, for discussion.
FootnotesPer-Medjed is the ancient Egyptian name of the main cult centre of this type of fish (Mormyrus kannume). The Greeks called the cult centre Oxyrhynchus Polis (meaning 'Town of the sharp-snouted fish'). In ancient Egyptian religion, these sacred fish were believed to have consumed the penis of the god Osiris after his brother Set had dismembered and scattered his body. Statuettes such as this are associated with Isis and Hathor.
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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LOT 0005
Egyptian Bronze Per-Medjed Oxyrhynchus Fish
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Tabular Glazed Steatite Spacer Bead with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £130
Bifacial with incised border to each face, one with throne name of Tuthmoses III and the other with hieroglyphs. 2.25 grams, 16 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. -
Egyptian and Other Glass and Stone Bead Group
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £182
Comprising a quantity of small beads, of mixed shapes, colours and materials; each pierced for stringing. 57 grams total, 2-12 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Egyptian Limestone Figural Temple Relief
Late New Kingdom, 1293-1060 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Depicting a naked male figure crouching right, wearing a head cap and lifting an amphora over his head, pouring its liquid contents out behind him; with pecking defacing; repaired. 1.2 kg, 25.6 cm
Ex T.C. collection, Martigny, Switzerland. Acquired in Europe before 1994. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11836-206814.
