Egyptian Carnelian Amulet Group

Modelled in the round on a small base, wearing columnar headdress, with dorsal pillar pierced behind the elbows. 4.15 grams, 55 mm



Private collection, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s. Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Nephthys was a protective goddess linked to mourning, magic, and the afterlife. As the sister of Isis, she played a vital role in the funerary rites of Osiris. Amulets like this were placed on the deceased to invoke her protection and aid in rebirth. Typically made of faience or semi-precious stone, they were especially common in the Late Period.

Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 0.325 grams, 7 mm



Ex London, UK, art market, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets offered the wearer the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was usually shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring.

Modelled in silhouette with painted detailing; mounted on a custom-made stand. 24.15 grams total, 73 mm including stand



with Eternal Egypt, London, UK. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above on the 21 May 1992. Accompanied by a copy of the Eternal Egypt invoice. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.