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LOT 0053
Egyptian Faience Mayhes Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
3 1/4 in. (50.8 grams total, 84 mm including stand).
Standing erect with dorsal pillar and rectangular base, arms straight and one leg advancing; lion-head wearing atef crown and a uraeus; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceEx early 20th century London, UK, collection.
LiteratureCf. Daressy, G., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire N° 38001-39384 Statues de divinités, Cairo, 1906, p. 151 (inv. no. 38579), pl. XXXII, for a similar example from Abydos.
FootnotesMahes was an Egyptian lion-headed deity linked to divine protection, royal authority, and retributive justice. Considered a son of the goddess Bastet—or, in some traditions, Sekhmet—he embodied the fierce, solar power of the sun god Re and served as a fierce protector of cosmic order. Mahes was especially venerated in the Delta region, notably at Leontopolis, where his leonine form highlighted his role as a guardian and destroyer of enemies. Iconographically, he is commonly depicted as a lion or, as here, a man with a lion’s head, wearing an atef- crown.
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 Black Hardstone Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Dark green hardstone with paler speckles; with a boldly carved head, clypeus, prothorax and elytra, and legs indicated at the sides; plain underside. 17 grams, 29 mm
Ex Irene Newman, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex, England. with Stride & Son Auctioneers, Chichester, West Sussex, England, 23 April 2015, no.1599 [Part]. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale.
The scarab, which represented the dung beetle, was the most popular amulet in ancient Egypt for approximately two thousand years until the Ptolemaic Period when it gradually fell out of favour. The popularity of scarabs extended beyond the borders of Egypt, and they were also distributed and produced in other regions, such as Phoenicia and Israel. The beetle is named khepri, derived from the verb 'to come into existence', and was considered the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, who was self-engendered. The ancient Egyptians mistakenly believed that the young beetle emerging from the dung ball was the result of an act of self-creation. -
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Egyptian Brown Quartzite Figure of the Baboon God Thoth
New Kingdom, circa 1550-1070 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,778
Carved in a typical pose, sitting on its haunches with its tail curving around the right side, its front paws resting on its knees and protruding beneath its thick furry pelt, with incised detailing, its feet either side of the phallus, the head with bulbous, striated hair on either side, chipped, snout restored; seated on a high shrine-shaped plinth with squared front and rounded back, featuring a cavetto cornice and roll detailing on the upper part. 1.15 kg, 15 cm
From a deceased American estate, 1970-1989. with Bonhams, London, 28 October 2009, no.35. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12368-226706.
The baboon was an animal manifestation of the god Thoth, the patron deity of Hermopolis Magna, who was revered for his association with knowledge, writing, and healing. -
Egyptian Faience Mayhes Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Standing erect with dorsal pillar and rectangular base, arms straight and one leg advancing; lion-head wearing atef crown and a uraeus; mounted on a custom-made stand. 50.8 grams total, 84 mm including stand
Ex early 20th century London, UK, collection.
Mahes was an Egyptian lion-headed deity linked to divine protection, royal authority, and retributive justice. Considered a son of the goddess Bastet—or, in some traditions, Sekhmet—he embodied the fierce, solar power of the sun god Re and served as a fierce protector of cosmic order. Mahes was especially venerated in the Delta region, notably at Leontopolis, where his leonine form highlighted his role as a guardian and destroyer of enemies. Iconographically, he is commonly depicted as a lion or, as here, a man with a lion’s head, wearing an atef- crown.
