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LOT 0580
Egyptian Faience Nefertem Statuette with Hieroglyphs
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 664-30 B.C.
4 1/2 in. (42.8 grams, 11.6 cm).
Presented in a striding pose with his left leg forward and his arms at his sides; wearing his emblem, the lotus-flower headdress from which two plumes emerge, and a menat on each side; dorsal pillar with hieroglyphs, beginning with the incantation: "Words spoken by Nefertum, son of Sekhmet...."
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, pp. 18-19, for a discussion of Nefertum amulets; Tinius, I., Altägypten in Braunschweig. Die Sammlungen des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums und des Städtischen Museums, Wiesbaden, 2011, pp. 143-144, nos. 259-260, for two examples.
FootnotesNefertum is usually depicted as a young man wearing a headdress with a lotus flower or a crown featuring the flower. The god is often linked to beauty, healing, and the lotus flower, with his cult connected to the royal family and the cycle of rebirth. Nefertum’s imagery and symbolism associate him with themes of creation, renewal, and the sun; he symbolises the first sunlight and the pleasant scent of the Egyptian blue lotus flower, emerging from the primal waters within an Egyptian blue water lily.
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Egyptian Green Stone Frog Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £351
Modelled seated on an oval base; pierced for suspension. 1.47 grams, 13 mm
Mrs Allinson to Mrs Foster, 1867 and thence by descent to the current owner, Stanley Crescent, London, UK.
Frog amulets in ancient Egypt symbolised fertility, rebirth, and renewal. Associated with the goddess Heket, who was connected to childbirth and life-giving forces, these amulets were especially popular in contexts related to fertility and protection during pregnancy and labour. Their association with the annual Nile flood, which brought new life to the land, further underscored their symbolism of revival and abundance. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Memnonium at Thebes and Tomb of Ozymandias
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 28 from Vol .I of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Thèbes. Memnonium. Coupe longitudinale du tombeau d'Osymandyas. 225 grams, 104.5 x 69 cm
From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The "Memnonium" is the Greek name for the mortuary temple of Ramesses II, now known as the Ramesseum. -
Egyptian Silver Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
With detailing to wings and eyes, pierced for suspension through the head. 0.80 grams, 16 mm
From a gentleman's family collection, 2000s.