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LOT 0429
Egyptian Faience Hare Statuette
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
1 3/4 in. (25 grams, 44 mm).
Modelled in the round in crouching position with its ears pulled back and resting along the body, black detailing to the eyes.
ProvenancePrivate collection of Mr K.A., acquired in the 1990s-early 2000s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The desert hare was one of the most common wild animals in Egypt. The female hare was sacred to Wenut, goddess of the 15th Upper Egyptian nome, though no specific hare cults are known. The purpose of hare figurines remains uncertain. According to Plutarch, Egyptians regarded the hare’s speed and keen senses—reflected in its open eyes—as divine.
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 Steatite Heart Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
With ribbed carapace and suspension loop to underside. 2.89 grams, 22 mm
Acquired on the European art market in the early 2000s. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
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Egyptian Body of Anubis Glass Inlay
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With gently curved obverse and flat reverse, section of an inlay depicting Anubis, with thick neck and beginning of extended foreleg. 110 grams, 96 mm
Acquired on the French art market, 1980s. with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2011, lot 21. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This coloured glass inlay depicts Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification and protector of the dead. Likely part of a coffin or shrine, it demonstrates the use of glass to imitate precious materials in elite funerary art. The figure’s profile and predominantly black colour evoke Anubis’s role in preservation and the afterlife. -
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
With linear detailing to wings, raised eyes, pierced for suspension. 0.84 grams, 19 mm
Ex London, UK, art market, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Although flies might seem like mere nuisances—often shown being swatted by pharaohs or officials—ancient Egyptians admired them for their speed, agility, and persistence. Fly-shaped amulets, first appearing in Naqada II burials around 3200 B.C., became especially popular in the New Kingdom. Made from materials like gold, silver, faience, lapis lazuli, and bone, they served apotropaic purposes, protecting against bites and warding off pests. Some may have also symbolised fertility. Gold fly pendants were even awarded by pharaohs to honour soldiers’ bravery and tenacity.
