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LOT 0048
Egyptian Faience Ushabti
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
5 7/8 in. (134 grams, 15 cm).
Mummiform figure with black-pigment facial detailing, sidelock, tripartite wig, dorsal seed-net, tiered collar, and vertical panel of hieroglyphic text.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12848-241648.
Cf. The Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2015.050.002-.005, for four shabtis of Hori, similar to the example here.
FootnotesA shabti (also known as ushabti or shawabti) is a small funerary figurine found in ancient Egyptian tombs, from around 2000 BCE to 30 BCE. Its main purpose was to act as a servant for the deceased in the afterlife, carrying out manual tasks like farming or irrigation as directed by the gods. Shabtis were frequently inscribed with a magical formula from the Book of the Dead to ensure they would animate when summoned.
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AUCTIONS:
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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. -
Egyptian Bronze Seated Isis with Horus Statue
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Modelled enthroned, wearing a cow's horn headdress with a solar disc; suckling the infant Horus seated transversely on her lap; Horus modelled with a side-lock of youth; mounted on a custom-made wooden stand. 405 grams total, 17.5 cm including stand
Property of a deceased gentleman's collection, 1980s. Ex John Nicholson Auction, Haslemere, Surrey, UK. -
Egyptian Faience Bead with Eye of Horus and Ankh Symbols
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Barrel-shaped bead with blue glaze, wedjat and ankh in black glaze. 2.09 grams, 14 mm
From an early 20th century collection.
The wedjat-eye amulet is a representation of the healed eye of the god Horus, featuring both human and falcon elements. The name wedjat in ancient Egyptian means ‘the one that is sound.’ According to Egyptian mythology, Horus' eye was wounded or taken by the god Seth and restored by Thoth. The wedjat-eye amulet was thought to protect its wearer and bestow the power of recovery and regeneration onto them. It was very popular and used by both the living and the dead.
