Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor")
_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor")
.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor")
.jpg "Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor")
LOT 0030
Egyptian Bronze Sistrum with Bes and Hathor
ROMAN PERIOD, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.
15 1/2 in. (1.52 kg, 39.5 cm).
The large liturgical rattle with a columnar handle composed of a bifacial figure of Bes standing on a lotus capital, flanked by seated sphinxes, his feathered crown supporting the bust of goddess Hathor wearing a broad collar and a curling wig, two rearing uraei emerging from the sides to support the base of the rattle, both wearing the pschent crown, above the cobras a standing figure of the goddess Hathor in cow form, wearing a tripartite wig and a sun disc between the horns; the rattle with a looped body with flared outer rims and set with three metal rods to accept metal discs, a pair of reclining lions to the base and the top with three felines surrounding a cockerel, and resting one of their front paws on the bird.
ProvenanceGerman art market.
European private collection, 1970s-early 2000s.
Acquired from the above; thence by descent.
Private collection, London, UK.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12348-225588.
Cf. Lacovara, P. et al., The Collector’s Eye: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from The Thalassic Collection, Atlanta, 2001, for a sistrum with a Bes figure incorporated into the handle; see a late Egyptian prototype of a bronze sistrum with handle in the shape of the god Bes, 30th Dynasty, c. 350 B.C. (Neues Museum, Berlin); see a Roman sistrum in MET, accession no.97.22.2; a bronze sistrum, in the British Museum, inv.no.1756,0101.541; Daremberg, C.V. & Saglio, E. (eds.), Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, Paris, 1873-1917.
FootnotesThe sistrum (seshesh in ancient Egyptian) was a rattle-like musical instrument, played exclusively by women in religious ceremonies. It was often decorated with the bust of the goddess Hathor to whom the sistrum was sacred. Their use continued into the Roman period in ceremonies associated with the cult of Isis.
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.
-
Egypto-Phoenician Glass Scaraboid with Beast-Tamer
800-600 B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Ellipsoid in plan with transverse piercing, impressed intaglio scene of 'beast-tamer' motif (human figure in profile with one arm extended towards a rampant ibex); aqua glass; repaired. 4.28 grams, 19 mm
From the collection of Mr S.M., London, UK, formed from 1979-1999. -
Egyptian Hardstone Double Plume Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Carved with integral ribbed loop to the reverse; unfinished. 4.4 grams, 31 mm
with Hotel des Ventes, Drouot, Paris, France. From the collection of Mr H. Naudy, Paris, France. Acquired at between 2004-2010. Property of a French collector.
This ancient amulet represents two ostrich feathers or shuty. Interestingly, these feathers were also present on the Atef crown of Osiris, the god of the afterlife and the dead. This suggests the amulet was believed to imbue the wearer with Osiris's divine power and protection. -
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
D-shaped in section with two triangular wings and robbed body with pellet eyes. 1.07 grams, 16 mm
From an early 20th century collection.
Small fly amulets first appeared in burials during the Naqada II Period, c. 3200 B.C. These amulets grew in popularity and the materials used to make them expanded during the New Kingdom. They are crafted from a variety of materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and bone. These amulets were thought to protect against insect bites and to ward off troublesome flying creatures through apotropaic magic. Some believe they may have even been intended to symbolise the fly’s fecundity. Additionally, pharaohs would bestow gold fly-shaped pendants as military awards to honour the bravery and fly-like persistence of soldiers in battle.
