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LOT 0036
Egyptian Faience Bull-Headed Shabti from the Serapeum at Saqqara
NEW KINGDOM, RAMESSIDE PERIOD, 1295-1069 B.C.
5 7/8 in. (152 grams total, 15 cm including stand).
Pale faience figurine representing a bull-headed mummy adorned with a tripartite wig and human arms crossed over the chest with hands holding a pick and a hoe; only the lower legs and feet missing; the opening part of a central panel of hieroglyphic inscription reads: Wsir ͗ ḥp, 'the Osiris Apis'; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceProbably found at the Serapeum at Saqqara in the 19th century.
From the private collection of the late Mr M.S.C., Norfolk, UK, formed 1950s-1960s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan.
Cf. Mariette, A., Le Serapeum de Memphis, Paris, 1882, pl. 19, for others of the type.
FootnotesWhile most shabtis served as substitutes or servants of the deceased and were placed in the tomb, some, like this example, were votive objects deposited in places of great sanctity. Virtually all known Apis shabtis come from excavations in the Serapeum catacombs led by Auguste Mariette from 1850 to 1853. They all belong to activity dating to the 19th and 20th Dynasties (circa 1295-1069 BC) and were unearthed in various chambers where they had been placed as votive offerings to honour the deified Apis bulls.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0036
Egyptian Faience Bull-Headed Shabti from the Serapeum at Saqqara
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,250
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Egyptian Multi-Stranded Faience Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Multi-stranded designer necklace composed of beads of mainly annular and tubular types. 21 grams, 72 cm long
Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F.A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014.
For thousands of years, artisans in Egypt created vibrant ceramics to echo the beauty of rare jewels. These ornaments were created with almost every material, colour, and texture imaginable and they come from across Egypt and beyond: vibrant blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, glossy black obsidian from Turkey, and aqua-green turquoise from the Sinai. They were worn in life and, after death, they served as precious ornamentation for mummies. -
Egyptian Canaanite Limestone Scarab Group
Second Intermediate Period-New Kingdom, circa 17th-12th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
A group of thirteen scarabs with anatomical detailing to the carapace, comprising: 1) two kneeling hawk-headed figures with arms raised praise flank a central Hathoric fetish; 2) two facing falcons adorned with Red Crowns flanked by hieroglyphs, including netjer,hes-jars, and maat feathers; 3) standing human figure holding a staff atop a neb hieroglyph facing a highly stylised crocodile; 4) falcon atop a neb hieroglyph facing a striking cobra with another above; 5) the Re-Horakhty falcon standing before a hes-jar, with cartouche behind containing hieroglyphs and a verticalneb hieroglyph on the left; 6) central motif of a bird atop a neb hieroglyph with a rectangular sign above, a was- sceptre behind, flanked by stylised cobras; 7) falcon wearing the Red Crown atop a shrine with a winged sun disc above, flanked by cobras and Red Crowns; 8) central design consisting of hes-jars, a sun disc, a nub symbol (for gold), nefer signs, a kheper scarab beetle, and lotus flowers, all flanked by a border of en and ro signs; 9) central column of hes-jars, a sun disc, a kha rising sun hieroglyph, and scarab beetle, flanked by lions’ foreparts, Red Crowns, neb and hes-jar signs; 10) standing figure atop a neb hieroglyph holding a flower/branch; 11) hieroglyphs writing ‘Amun beloved of the living Ramesses’; 12) stylised bird with men hieroglyph behind; 13) scarab beetle with sun disc above. 27.1 grams total, 11-20 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
The popularity of the scarab was so great that many of these scarab designs can be found outside Egypt at sites in the ancient Levant. -
Egyptian Blue Glazed Faience Figure of Pataikos
Saite Period, 26th Dynasty, 664-545 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Wearing a broad collar and a stylised scarab on top of the head, elongated arms resting on the lower part of his protruding abdomen. 10.8 grams, 43 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Herodotus mentions Pataikos as a dwarf-like representation of Ptah, although the ancient Egyptian name of the god remains unclear. These diminutive amulets symbolise Ptah’s immense magical power, which served to protect the wearer from dangerous creatures such as snakes and crocodiles. The role of the deity in the funerary sphere is explained in Spell 164 of the Book of the Dead, where a Pataikos is used to protect the deceased's heart from enemy attacks and the putrefaction of the body.