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LOT 0459
Egyptian Faience Shabti Collection
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
2 3/4 - 3 3/8 in. (74.88 grams total, 70-85 mm).
All are typical mummiform figures, each wearing a lappet wig and false beard, holding a pick, a hoe, and a seed bag, with an impressed column of hieroglyphs on the front and a pillar at the back. [6]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Schlögl, H., and Brodbeck, A., Ägyptische Totenfiguren aus öffentlichen und privaten sammlungen der Schweiz, Göttingen, 1990, p. 277, no. 194, for a similar type.
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 Turquoise Faience Shabti of Prince Khaemwaset
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, circa 1292-1185 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,552
Wearing daily dress and carrying agricultural implements, with dark blue details including his short wig with side-lock, designating him as a Sem-priest of Ptah at Memphis, the text on the kilt naming him as 'Sem-priest and King's son Khaemwaset'; with round-topped back support, the reverse with two columns of hieroglyphs with part of the shabti formula: "He says: O shabti, if one counts, if one is reckoned to do all the works that are to be done there in the God’s land—now indeed obstacles are implanted therewith—as a man at his duties, ‘Here I am,’ you shall say when you are counted off to cultivate the fields, transport by boat the sand of the east to the west and vice versa; ‘Here I am,’ you shall say". 284 grams, 15.1 cm
With Barakat, Beverly Hills: reputed to be from the Omar Pasha Sultan collection, (1806-1871) but unpublished in the 1929 catalogue of the collection, nor in Aubert's 1976 article on the shabtis in the collection. Bonhams, London, 1 May 2013, no.282. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12938-243536.
Prince Khaemwaset was the fourth-ranked son of Ramesses II and the second born to Queen Isetnofret. More is known about Khaemwaset than any other son of Ramesses II, attested by over 150 objects, ranging from statues to temple reliefs. He is traditionally regarded as the “first Egyptologist” for his restoration of monuments belonging to earlier kings, including the pyramids at Giza and Saqqara. Recent reassessment, however, suggests that some of these activities involved dismantling parts of ancient structures for reuse in his father’s temple constructions. -
Egyptian Yellow Steatite Scarab with Cartouche
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, 1550-1292 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Incised anatomical detailing on the body, underside with a cartouche of Pharaoh Thutmose III, Red crown, hes-vase and sun disc. 1.06 grams, 14 mm
From a late Warwickshire numismatic collector, his collection formed from the early 1980s. -
Egyptian Heart Scarab Group
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Comprising two scarabs with striated wing cases and ribbed underside. 7.5 grams total, 18-20 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
The scarab amulet was a powerful symbol of rebirth, transformation, and protection in ancient Egypt. Modelled after the beetle linked to the sun god Khepri, it represented the cycle of life and regeneration. Used from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2050 BCE) onwards, scarabs served as funerary amulets, personal charms, and seals—often inscribed with prayers or names—reflecting both spiritual beliefs and daily life.