Loading, please wait...
LOT 0467
Egyptian Bronze Sekhmet Statuette
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
2 7/8 in. (30 grams total, 73 mm including stand).
Standing figure of Sekhmet with arms held at her sides, wearing a wig and tight-fitting robe; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. von Droste zu Hülsdorf, V. and Schlick-Nolte, B., Ägyptische Bildwerke II: Statuetten, Gefässe und Geräte, Melsungen, 1990, pp.308-309, no. 189, for a similar bronze figurine.
FootnotesSekhmet was a ferocious and aggressive deity, the consort of Ptah, and closely associated with the king. An amulet would imbue its wearer with her power.
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:
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.
-
Egyptian Faience Wadj Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Square-section wadj papyrus stalk amulet surmounted by a ram's head wearing the Atef crown; the front inscribed with ankh (life) and renpet (year) hieroglyphs. 1.92 grams, 39 mm
From the collection of Doctor Girard, a collector for over 60 years. with Hotel des Ventes de Clermont-Ferrand, 22 May 2017. Property of a French collector.
The papyrus column or wadj amulet is typically made out of turquoise feldspar or faience, as is prescribed in the Book of the Dead. The word wadj, meaning “green”, evokes concepts of well-being and vitality. Papyrus amulets were often placed around the neck of the deceased to ensure eternal youth in the afterlife. The ram's head is associated with the god Amun and the Atef crown with Osiris, ruler of the Underworld. -
Egyptian Faience Bead Collection
New Kingdom-Late Period, circa 1550-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Mainly tubular, annular and oblate types in various colours. 61 grams total, 64 mm
Acquired from Ancient & Oriental, circa 1987. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985.
The faience of the New Kingdom period is frequently decorated with an expanded palette of red, black, and yellow. This polychrome decoration was often accomplished by inlaying one colour of paste onto another. -
Bronze Bust with Phallus
Roman, 1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Modelled as a grotesque male head, depicted clean-shaven and hairless apart from a small tuft of hair to the rear with a raised phallus above; the neck developing to a broad circular socket with flange rim; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 377 grams total, 14.5 cm including stand
From an old Nevers collection, acquired before 1960. Ex Hotel des Ventes de Nevers. Property of a French collector. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12035-214900.
The exact meaning of these grotesque busts surmounted by a phallus is disputed, although Rolland (p.106) believes that they originated in Alexandria among the priests of the cult of Isis. Similar busts have been discovered in the Roman Gallia, at Bavay and Strasbourg.
