Details

LOT 0013

Egyptian Faience Crocodile Amulet

LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.

3 in. (13.4 grams, 74 mm).

Representing the god Sobek; detailed face and scales; standing on a rectangular plinth; pierced to the front for suspension.

Provenance

From the estate of the late Professor Dr E. Bernardo Streiff, Geneva; a distinguished collection of antiquities formed during the 1950s-1970s.
with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12629-236404.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Literature

Cf. Reisner, G.A., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire, Nos.5218-6000 et 12001-12527, Vol. I, Amulets, Cairo, 1907, pl. XXIII, nos. 12422 and 12433, for similarly detailed examples.

Footnotes

Sobek is one of the most ancient and fascinating deities in the Egyptian pantheon. He is typically depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile, embodying various attributes related to the natural world, power, and protection. Sobek was mainly associated with water, fertility, and the Nile, along with strength and military prowess. His worship extends throughout much of ancient Egyptian history, and he was venerated not only as a force of nature but also as a god of healing, protection, and royal authority. His principal cult centres were situated in the Faiyum region, particularly the city of Crocodilopolis, and also at Kom Ombo in Upper Egypt.