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LOT 0001
Egyptian Faience Shabti for the Fourth Son of Ramesses II, Prince Khaemwaset
NEW KINGDOM, 19TH DYNASTY, 1279-1213 B.C.
4 5/8 in. (82.4 grams, 11.8 cm).
The mummiform figure in brownish-black and white faience with black detailing, wearing a round wig featuring a side-lock and a broad collar, the white face displaying eyes, eyebrows, nostrils, and a short beard in black; the arms crossed, and the white-glazed hands holding hoes; a slightly raised white-glazed frontal panel containing a column of hieroglyphic text reads: 'The Osiris, the Sem-Priest, the King's Son, Khaemwaset, True of Voice'.
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of George Ortiz, Geneva, Switzerland, since before 1981.
Received by gift from George Ortiz to the current owner at Mr Ortiz's Geneva home in the summer of 1981.
From the private collection of a UK gentleman since the early 1980s.
Identified by Professor A.M. Dodson BA, MPhil, PhD, FSA, Department of Anthropology & Archaeology, University of Bristol.
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.
Cf. Bovot, J-L., Les serviteurs funéraires royaux et princiers de l’Ancienne Égypte, Paris, 2003, pp.230-301, for the Louvre collection of Khaemwaset shabtis.
FootnotesKhaemwaset was the fourth son of Ramesses II, born to Queen Iset-Nofret. In addition to serving as the Sem-priest of Ptah at Memphis from an early age, he held various titles related to the Memphite cult, including High Priest of Ptah. The side-lock featured on all of Khaemwaset's shabtis is associated with his priestly role. Many shabtis of the prince are known, with the largest single group coming from the Serapeum at Saqqara; however, others have been found in numerous other locations. Since Khaemwaset's tomb has yet to be discovered, it appears that most of the known shabtis may have served as votive offerings in the sacred areas of the Memphite necropolis. His faience shabtis come in various colours, including green, blue, white, and black, and range in size from just under 10 cm to 15 cm in height. The distinctive glaze combination of this example, featuring a raised white-glazed panel contrasting with the darker body colour, is also found on some other 19th Dynasty shabtis (Cf. Janes, G., The Shabti Collections 3: Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service, Cheshire, 2011, pp.1-5 for those of Userhat from Sedment).
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LOT 0001
Egyptian Faience Shabti for the Fourth Son of Ramesses II, Prince Khaemwaset
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,015
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Egyptian Mummy Shroud Section with Hieratic Text
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 480-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
A narrow strip of woven linen textile featuring two lines of neatly written hieratic text in black. 3.74 grams, 40 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
From the fifth century B.C., mummy wrappings often feature hieratic script—a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphs used for daily and religious texts. These include excerpts from funerary works like the Book of the Dead, alongside prayers meant to protect the deceased in the afterlife. Often with vignettes, these texts were inscribed directly on linen strips during the mummification. Some bandages were notably long; one from Brussels, 6.2 cm wide, measures an incredible 26 metres. -
Egyptian Carnelian Bead Bracelet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £286
Composed mainly of biconical, oblate, and other beads with three larger pendants; with modern gold attachment. 16.4 grams total, 21 cm long
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £450
The head of goddess Bastet modelled in the round with alert ears and eyes, ears pierced; hollow-formed. 40.4 grams, 33.6 mm high
Acquired in the mid 1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. It was probably attached to a statuette of a cat, whose body may have been crafted from wood. The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets provided the wearer with the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was typically shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of her offspring.