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LOT 0011
Egyptian Faience Amuletic Bes Plaque
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
2 in. (23.8 grams, 52 mm).
Oval plaque with ribbed outer edge, central depiction of the typically grimacing face of Bes wearing a feathered headdress.
ProvenanceFrom an early 20th century collection.
LiteratureCf. Reisner, G.A., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire, Nos.12528-13595, Vol. II, Amulets, Cairo, 1958, pl. IV, no. 12664, for a comparable Bes plaque.
FootnotesFrom the New Kingdom onward, Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance, Bes served as the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and was also believed to shield them from snakes.
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LOT 0011
Egyptian Faience Amuletic Bes Plaque
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£750 (EUR 870; USD 1,013) +BP*
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Egyptian Steatite Scarab Collection
Hyksos Period and New Kingdom, 18th-13th century B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
Each with a domed carapace, two with a figure on the underside surrounded by hieroglyphs, two inscribed with hieroglyphic signs. 15 grams total, 18-24 mm
Acquired in Europe before 1992. Ex private collection, UK.
The term ‘Hyksos’ comes from the Egyptian phrase ‘heka khasuwt’, which means ‘rulers of foreign (hill) lands’. The 15th Dynasty was governed by these Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period. They were not of Egyptian origin but were believed to be Canaanites, and their names were carved on their scarabs. -
Romano-Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Small alabastron in banded Egyptian calcite-alabaster, pointed ovoid body and tall neck divided by a broad annular collar and finished with a plain straight rim. 7.71 grams, 44 mm
Acquired on the European art market in 1990s. English private collection.
A well-attested type produced from the Twenty-Seventh Dynasty through the Ptolemaic period and continuing into the early Julio-Claudian era. -
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Egyptian Diorite Heart Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Finely carved, with naturalistic detailing to the upper body, legs shown folded beneath the body with suspension loop at centre. 7.5 grams, 25 mm
From a 20th century UK collection.
The Egyptians saw the scarab as a symbol of renewal and rebirth. The beetle was associated with the sun god because scarabs roll large balls of dung in which to lay their eggs, a behaviour that the Egyptians thought resembled the progression of the sun through the sky from east to west. Scarab amulets were used for their magical rejuvenating properties by both the living and the dead. The regenerative powers of scarabs, such as the one offered here, could be used by either the living or the dead for healing and protection.
