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LOT 0002
Egyptian Faience Shabti for Hor-sa-Iset
LATE PERIOD, CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.
6 in. (124 grams, 15.2 cm).
Of mummiform type, wearing a tripartite wig and long plaited divine beard; holding a pick in the left hand, a hoe in the right, and the cord of a seed bag hanging over his left shoulder; standing on an integral plinth, a plain back pillar terminating at the base of the wig; two vertical panels of hieroglyphic inscription to the front, including dedication: sḥḏ wsỉr ḥr sꜢ Ꜣst, ‘The illuminated, the Osiris, Hor-sa-Iset’; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceJacques René Fiechter, Switzerland (1920-1950).
with Auction Martin, Egyptian collection of André Bircher, 1949.
with Cahn Auktionen AG, Basel, 5 November 2011, no.20.
Private collection, Europe.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Cahn catalogue pages.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Janes, G., Shabtis: A Private View, Paris, 2002, pp.175-176, no. 91, for a shabti of similar style.
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 Faience Duck Scaraboid with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Modelled as a resting duck with its neck curved around the upper body, feather detailing on the wings, tail, and body, and delicately formed head; the underside features a baboon in a posture of adoration before an obelisk, wearing a lunar disc and crescent headdress, with a neb sign below. 2.82 grams, 19 mm
From the property of a London, UK, gentleman, 1970-2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Baboons were observed worshipping the rising sun with raised arms, a behaviour that Egyptians interpreted as divine reverence. The scarab's imagery symbolises cosmic harmony and sacred wisdom, with the baboon (a manifestation of Thoth in his lunar aspect) showing reverence to an obelisk (a symbol of the solar god, Ra). Thus, it blends moon and sun symbolism, embodying balance, cyclical renewal, divine order, and the interplay between knowledge (Thoth) and power (Ra). The neb sign indicates lordship or possession over all the celestial forces. -
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Openwork Ring
Third Intermediate Period, circa 1069-735 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
With the reserved figure of a seated falcon-headed deity holding the Maat feather, a stylised lotus bloom above and below. 3.53 grams, 24.05 mm overall, 19.40 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)
with Christie's, London, 19 October 1994, no.133 (part). Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above sale. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Steatite Harpocrates Statuette
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Carved in the round, the nude standing figure of the god sporting a solar disc and uraeus headdress, wearing a sidelock, and holding a lotus flower, accompanied by an integral dorsal pillar and base; one arm missing. 15.26 grams, 78 mm
Ex Thomas collection, UK, 1980s-1990s. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Harpocrates is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian Hor-pa-khered, which translates as ‘Horus the Child’. This designation refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. His nudity represents youth and purity. The sun disc and lotus flower symbolises divine rebirth and solar renewal. The sun disc connects him to Ra and the daily cycle of rebirth, while the lotus—opening with the sunrise—emphasises creation and emergence from chaos. Together, these elements express triumph over death and the promise of eternal life.