Loading, please wait...
LOT 0471
Egyptian Faience Shabti Group
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
2 1/4 - 2 5/8 in. (20 grams total, 58-68 mm).
Comprising two blue mummiform figures with their arms crossed at the chest and wearing a tripartite wig and a false beard. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx H Norri collection, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, UK, 1980s-1990s.
LiteratureCf. Janes, G., The Shabti Collections 6: A Selection from the World Museum, Liverpool, Lymm, 2016, p. 519, no. 273 (16.9.02.24f-t), for a group of 15 similar shabtis from Abydos.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Romano-Egyptian Mosaic Glass Fragment Group
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Irregular plate fragments with banded, rosette and other designs. 34.6 grams total, 21-48 mm
Ex Gallery Mikazaki, prior to 1994. From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman. -
Egyptian Anhydrite Cosmetic Bowl
Middle Kingdom, circa 2040-1780 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Conical in profile with rounded rim, narrow disc base; repaired; a rare stone. 33.68 grams, 39 mm
Ex William Ohly, 1883-1955. Ex Abbey Museum, Barnet, by descent.
Anhydrite, incorrectly called "blue marble" by early excavators, was a stone favoured by the ancient Egyptians from the Middle Kingdom to the Second Intermediate Period. This particular example follows a Middle Kingdom-style cosmetic kohl jar that could be modelled with or without an integral rim. -
Egyptian Silver Bastet Cat Amulet
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-32 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £260
Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 1.55 grams, 12 mm
Ex London, UK, gentleman's collection, 1990s.
The goddess Bastet was believed to be the daughter of the sun god and was shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she was first portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she was associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred during the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She was still associated with the destructive power of the sun and was shown on the prow of the solar boat, decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are obvious in Bastet and she was seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god; the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and, in a text from Karnak, Amenhotep II described his enemies being slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak, where she is known as the 'Lady of Asheru' which aligns her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region, at Bubastis, and was known as Per-Bastet or 'the House of Bastet.' Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at Bubastis and at Saqqara and Memphis.
