Egyptian Faience Kneeling Priest Amulet

Gold chain of double-looped links terminating in corrugated end elements, with hook-and-eye clasp; suspension ring embellished with applied granulation and a ribbed loop; hollow-formed sheet-gold pendant in the round depicting Harpocrates seated, his right forefinger raised to his mouth, wearing a finely detailed nemes headdress surmounted by a complex hemhem, crown incorporating multiple hedjet elements, flanking uraei, and ram's horns. 49.80 grams, 40.5 cm



Ex Elie Boustros collection, Lebanon. Private collection, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13203-249297.

The fully three-dimensional modelling of the pendant aligns it with a group of high-quality Roman-period Egyptian goldwork characterised by pronounced plasticity and sculptural ambition. A pertinent comparison may be drawn with the gold diadem depicting Serapis from the Dush Treasure, discovered concealed within the wall of a Roman fort in the Baris Oasis (Reddé, M., Douch IV. Le trésor de Douch, DFIFAO 28, Cairo, 1992). That assemblage, plausibly associated with a nearby temple of Serapis and Isis, demonstrates a similarly bold treatment of divine imagery in precious metal. Comparable small-scale representations of Harpocrates in gold - often amuletic in function - are known from Roman Egypt, though examples combining such intricate crown iconography with fully rounded modelling remain relatively rare. The present piece therefore occupies an interesting position between personal adornment and cultic or apotropaic object, reflecting both Alexandrian iconographic synthesis and provincial workshop virtuosity. Harpocrates is the Greek version of the Egyptian Hor-pa-khered, which means ‘Horus the Child’. This name refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. Wearing an amulet of Harpocrates was believed to provide the same protection that Isis offered to her beloved son.

The group comprising scarabs, scaraboids, and other types, some with hieroglyphs on their undersides, including the throne names of Thutmose IV (Men-kheperu-re) and Ramesses II (User-maat-re Setep-en-re)., 13.65 grams total, 9-19 mm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

A substantial figure of the ram-headed god Khnum advancing, wearing a tripartite wig with low central modius drilled for a separately cast headdress and finely pleated kilt, with ram's horns and eyes recessed for inlay, raised left hand, the right arm along the side; mounted on a custom-made stand. 466 grams, 22 cm high (803 grams total, 23.8 cm high including stand)

Bronze H: 19.6 cm, W: 5.4 cm, D: 6.9 cm Condition Surface has been extensively cleaned, in fair condition.

With Stendahl Art Gallery, Los Angeles, by at least circa 1950s, accompanied by an inventory card #39, with a matching number on the original base, and a photograph. Private collection, Hollywood, California, acquired from the above, circa 1950s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00256888. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no. 13240-251804.

The god Khnum (or Khnemu), the 'Moulder', was one of the earliest gods of Egypt, worshipped especially at Philae and Elephantine, both in Nubia. He was thought to have made mankind out of clay on a potter's wheel. It was Khnum who helped Isis to gather the severed fragments of the body of the god Osiris and reassemble them. He was considered the father of the gods, along with Amun-Ra and Ptah.