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LOT 0037
Egyptian Faience Amulet with Hieroglyphs
SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1650 B.C.
5/8 in. (1.67 grams, 17 mm).
Rectangular amuletic bead with hieroglyphic text to both faces, central cartouche to one face.
ProvenanceFrom a family collection formed 1900-1950; by descent circa 1980.
LiteratureSee Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, for discussion.
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:
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Egyptian Multi-Stranded Faience Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-525 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Restrung of four strands of polychrome composition beads of mainly cylindrical types. 19.7 grams, 72 cm long
Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F. A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014. -
Egyptian Faience Isis with Horus Amulet
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
The goddess seated on a throne and wearing a vulture headdress with her hieroglyph above, the infant god Horus with Sidelock of Youth being nursed on her knee; turquoise glaze. 4.25 grams, 40 mm
Acquired in Europe before 1992.
In ancient Egyptian belief, the image of Isis suckling her son Horus was a potent symbol of rebirth. The goddess sits on the throne (which was the hieroglyphic form of her name). -
Egyptian Gold Cat Amulet of the God Bastet
Late New Kingdom, 1070-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Modelled seated on an arch-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the reverse. 0.50 grams, 8 mm
From an early 20th century French collection.
The goddess Bastet was considered to be the daughter of the sun god and was originally shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she is portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she is associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred some time around the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She is still associated with the destructive power of the sun and is shown on the prow of the solar boat decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are the most obvious in Bastet and she is seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god, and the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and in a text from Karnak the Pharaoh Amenhotep II describes how his enemies are slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak where she is known as the "Lady of Asheru" which places her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region at Bubastis and was known as Per-Bastet or "the House of Bastet." Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at not only Bubastis but also Saqqara and Memphis.
