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LOT 0498
Egyptian Glazed Faience Shabti Collection
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
1 3/4 - 3 1/2 in. (54 grams total, 46-91 mm).
Comprising five mummiform figures in different colours, each with a false beard and wearing a lappet wig. [5]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market before 2000.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Shabtis, London, 1935, pl. XLV, nos. 615, 645, and 649, for comparable examples.
FootnotesShabti figures were created to perform heavy manual tasks on behalf of a person in the afterlife. The body of a shabti typically resembled a mummy from the neck down and was often depicted holding tools such as baskets, mattocks, and hoes. Over time, the number of shabtis in a standard elite burial increased, so that from the Third Intermediate Period onward, it became common to have at least 401 figurines, comprising 365 workers, one for each day of the year, plus 36 overseers, one for every ten workers.
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 Glass Taweret Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
The goddess Taweret in the form of a hippopotamus standing upright with human arms resting on the swollen stomach, crocodile tail flowing down her spine from beneath her wig; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 11.9 grams, 52 mm
Ex P.A. collection, London, UK, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Tawaret is an ancient Egyptian goddess primarily associated with fertility, childbirth, motherhood, and the protection of women during pregnancy and childbirth. She is depicted as a composite creature, blending various animal traits, and is one of the more unique and striking deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Tawaret’s name is derived from the Egyptian word for "great" or "large" (tꜣwꜣrt), reflecting her formidable and protective nature. -
Egyptian Blue Faience Clothing Mounts
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Group of rosette mounts, each plano-convex in profile with two attachment holes to the centre and pierced loops to the rim. 124 grams total, 25-30 mm
UK private collection, formed in the 1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Faience Bead Necklace String
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Composed of blue tubular beads interspersed with brown annular beads; restrung. 8.44 grams, 90 cm
Acquired on the UK art market, circa 1980. Property of an East London, UK, collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
