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LOT 0047
Egyptian Brown Quartzite Figure of the Baboon God Thoth
NEW KINGDOM, CIRCA 1550-1070 B.C.
5 7/8 in. (1.15 kg, 15 cm).
Carved in a typical pose, sitting on its haunches with its tail curving around the right side, its front paws resting on its knees and protruding beneath its thick furry pelt, with incised detailing, its feet either side of the phallus, the head with bulbous, striated hair on either side, chipped, snout restored; seated on a high shrine-shaped plinth with squared front and rounded back, featuring a cavetto cornice and roll detailing on the upper part.
ProvenanceFrom a deceased American estate, 1970-1989.
with Bonhams, London, 28 October 2009, no.35.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12368-226706.
Cf. seated baboon of brown quartzite, Kozloff, A.P. & Bryan, B.M., Egypt's Dazzling Sun, Cleveland, 1992, fig 36, p.227.
FootnotesThe baboon was an animal manifestation of the god Thoth, the patron deity of Hermopolis Magna, who was revered for his association with knowledge, writing, and healing.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0047
Egyptian Brown Quartzite Figure of the Baboon God Thoth
Estimate £5,000 - 7,000€5,800 - 8,120 (for guidance only)$6,750 - 9,450 (for guidance only)
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Historic Collection of 591 Slides of Egyptian Archaeological and Other Subjects
1960s-1980s A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Housed in five linen-covered boxes, covering ancient Egypt, Aswan, Karnak, Philae, Medinet, Step Pyramids, Nile birds and animals, boats, irrigation, Palestine, Damascus, Greece, Pompeii, Baalbek, Byblos, personal slides etc. 4.32 kg total, 26.5 x 16.5 x 6.5 cm each box
Property of archaeologist Stephanie Gee, N.W. London, UK, 1960s-1980s.
Stephanie Gee was a prominent archaeologist who took part in several expeditions in Egypt. She was a trusted assistant to the British-Australian archaeologist Veronica Seton-Williams, who excavated in Egypt, Britain, and the Near East. Stephanie also took part in the Tell El-Farâ'în expeditions of 1965-1968, and assisted Seton-Williams with preparing the 1966 expedition report. Their collaboration continued and Stephanie helped with the manuscript of Seton-Williams’ book ‘The Road to El-Aguzein’, a narrative account of her life that was first published in 1988. -
Egyptian Blue Glazed Faience Shabti
Ptolemaic Period, circa 305-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Characteristic mummiform figure wearing a tripartite wig and a false beard, with a seed-bag suspended over the shoulder, a plain dorsal column, and with arms crossed and hands holding agricultural tools. 72 grams, 12.5 cm
From the collection of a late Tavistock, Devon, UK, gentleman, formed from the 1990s. Accompanied by an old handwritten date note on British Museum, Department of Egyptian Antiquities headed paper, where the second part relates to this item. -
Egyptian Faience Bastet Cat Amulet Collection
New Kingdom, 1550-1070 B.C. and laterEstimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Pale yellow, turquoise, and blue faience seated cat figures, each shown on a base plinth and with a suspension loop behind the head. 83 grams total, 47-52 mm including stands
Collection of a Lady, circa 1940. From a specialist collection.
In ancient Egypt, the cat was revered as the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, whose main cult centre was Bubastis in the Nile Delta. Although cats were once part of folk customs, their formal worship expanded across Egypt during the Late Period. Bastet was closely connected to lion-headed goddesses such as Sekhmet, Tefnut, and Pakhet, and the cat itself became linked to solar imagery: the Book of the Dead depicts the sun god as a Great Cat defeating Apophis beneath the sacred Ished Tree. The cat could also represent the Eye of the Sun or, more commonly in Bastet’s case, the Eye of the Moon. Mummified cats were often offered as votive offerings, and some were decorated with finely crafted bronze heads to emphasise their divine likeness.