Loading, please wait...
LOT 0520
Egyptian Faience Bastet Cat Amulet Collection
NEW KINGDOM, 1550-1070 B.C. AND LATER
1 7/8 - 2 in. (83 grams total, 47-52 mm including stands).
Pale yellow, turquoise, and blue faience seated cat figures, each shown on a base plinth and with a suspension loop behind the head. [3]
ProvenanceCollection of a Lady, circa 1940.
From a specialist collection.
Cf. Lacovara, P., and Markowitz, Y.J., Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester MA, 2020, pp. 108-109, for examples of similar cat amulets.
FootnotesIn 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.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0520
Egyptian Faience Bastet Cat Amulet Collection
Estimate £1,200 - 1,700€1,390 - 1,970 (for guidance only)$1,620 - 2,300 (for guidance only)
-
.jpg)
Historic Collection of 859 Slides of Archaeological Sites and Artefacts From Egypt
1960s-1980s A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Housed in five linen-covered boxes, covering tombs, wall paintings, Tutankhamun, Giza, El Kab, Menkaure, Roash, Merysankh, Medinet Habu, Abusir, Ramesses III Temple, Seti I Chapel etc. 4.34 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 Faience Amulet Representing Taweret
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Modelled in the round on a rectangular base and with a dorsal pillar pierced at the shoulder, the goddess is depicted in hippopotamus form with human arms. 10.3 grams, 52 mm
Private collection, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s. Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020. -
.jpg)
Historic Collection of 565 Slides of Egyptian Archaeological Sites and Artefacts
1960s-1980s A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Housed in five linen-covered boxes, covering ancient Egypt, Tutankhamun jewellery, Nefetari, Amun Hr Khopshef, Khaemwast, Tuthmosis IV, Tye, Archaic stele, maceheads, inscriptions, pottery, sculpture, Saqqara tombs, Esna etc. 3.85 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.
