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LOT 0024
Egyptian Faience Thoth and Horus in a Boat
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
2 1/2 in. (35.9 grams, 64 mm).
Modelled in the round, comprising a small barque with a seated baboon and a falcon, possibly Thoth and Horus, with a slot to the underside.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
FootnotesIn Egyptian mythology, Thoth restored the eye of Horus, suggesting that this may be the theme of the figurine's composition. Alternatively, the composition may be a condensed depiction of the funerary vignette, which shows the falcon form of the sun god Re in his solar barque flanked by baboons in an attitude of praise. The slot in the underside suggests it was once attached to a separate base.
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 Wooden Sarcophagus with Falcon Mummy
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-31 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,190
Two-part wooden (sycamore?) falcon-headed mummiform coffin carved from a single piece of wood, with a tripartite wig and human ears, painted detailing to the eyes, and broad decorative collar; the whole covered with black paint with traces of yellow decoration and inscriptions; inside a mummified falcon wrapped in linen strips. 2.3 kg, 49.5 cm
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note. 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 a search certificate number no.12074-218220.
This falcon-headed coffin once contained a so-called 'corn mummy' - a mummiform effigy impregnated with grain, which germinated. Such 'corn mummies' were associated with Osirian regeneration, fertility, and rebirth concepts. The falcon-headed coffin was associated with the powerful funerary deity Sokar-Osiris or Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. It seems that the original contents of this coffin were either lost or discarded and replaced with a mummified bird (falcon?). Interestingly, the most significant number of falcon-headed coffins come from Tuna el-Gebel, the site of an extensive animal mummy necropolis. -
Egyptian Bronze Statue of a Kneeling Priest
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £139
Kneeling on a rectangular platform with a wide apron covering his thighs, clean-shaven head and hands raised in adoration; tang on the underside for attachment; mounted on a display stand. 41 grams total, statue: 30 mm high
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection.
Priest figurines like this were commonly placed before a larger figurine of a deity, both attached to a base, e.g., Schulz, R., Seidel, M., Egyptian Art. The Walters Art Museum, London, 2009, for a kneeling priest before a standing figure of Anubis. -
Egyptian Hardstone Double Plume Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Carved with integral ribbed loop to the reverse; unfinished. 4.4 grams, 31 mm
with Hotel des Ventes, Drouot, Paris, France. From the collection of Mr H. Naudy, Paris, France. Acquired at between 2004-2010. Property of a French collector.
This ancient amulet represents two ostrich feathers or shuty. Interestingly, these feathers were also present on the Atef crown of Osiris, the god of the afterlife and the dead. This suggests the amulet was believed to imbue the wearer with Osiris's divine power and protection.
