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LOT 0401
Egyptian Ebony Thoth Figure
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 in. (6.87 grams,74 mm).
Carved in the round figure of a baboon with horned sun-disc headgear, crouching on a balustered tubular shaft.
ProvenanceAcquired on the German art market, 1989-1995.
with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003.
Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The baboon represented an animal manifestation of the god Thoth. This deity was revered for his associations with knowledge, writing, and healing. The popularity of Thoth was also likely tied to his role as the recorder of the final judgment, which determined whether the deceased had led a virtuous life.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0401
Egyptian Ebony Thoth Figure
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Schist Plate
Ptolemaic Period, 323-30 B.C.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £360
Discoid palette with rounded underside and flat base, dished central field, flat rim with four radiating trapezoidal projections. 450 grams, 16.4 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00038135. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Silver Snake Ring
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Comprising a round-section tapering body with intricate scale detailing, the head resting on the body, detailed face with closed mouth and rounded eyes, an applied gold annulet with two granules above the head; part of the tail absent. 6.79 grams, 26.03 mm overall, 15.77 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4 3/4, Europe 8.69, Japan 8)
Ex Dr Leo Mildenberg, Zurich, 1990s. Acquired by Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, from the above in 1999. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Snake rings were not originally a traditional form in Egypt and only became common during the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods. Animal-shaped rings, including those with snake motifs, originated in Western Asia around the eighth century BC, spread to Greece by the fifth century BC, and were introduced to Egypt primarily through the Ptolemaic Period. In Greek culture, snakes were often linked to healing, though they likely carried other symbolic meanings as well. -
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Figure of Somtous
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Modelled in the round, the nude seated figure of the child Somtous, with one hand to his lips and a prominent sidelock, emerging from a lotus flower; mounted on a custom-made stand. 39.7 grams total, 68 mm including stand
with Noriuchi Horiuchi, Tokyo, Japan. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above in 1993. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The earliest attestations of the cult of Somtous, known as Sematawy in ancient Egyptian, date back to the New Kingdom, although it became particularly popular during the Late Period. Associated with Horus (Horsomtous), the symbol of the child emerging from the lotus represented the (re)birth of the sun god. Thus, Somtous was regarded as a life-giving amuletic symbol, sometimes even referred to as 'Sematawy the child who gives life.'
