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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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Blue Glazed Libation Cup of Ramesses III
New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty, circa 1183-1152 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
Ritual cup with sides tapering towards the base; the black glazed rectangular panel containing two columns of text: 'Lord of Appearances, Ramesses ruler of Heliopolis (Ramses heqa Iwnw) given life, beloved of Osiris, Lord of Rosetau'. 50 grams, 53 mm
with Hoshigaoka Gallery Co. Ltd, Japan. Private collection, London, acquired from the above on the 26th September 1981. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12637-235085. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Figure of Somtous
Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Modelled in the round, the nude seated figure of the child Somtous, with one hand to his lips and a prominent sidelock, emerging from a lotus flower; mounted on a custom-made stand. 39.7 grams total, 68 mm including stand
with Noriuchi Horiuchi, Tokyo, Japan. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above in 1993. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The earliest attestations of the cult of Somtous, known as Sematawy in ancient Egyptian, date back to the New Kingdom, although it became particularly popular during the Late Period. Associated with Horus (Horsomtous), the symbol of the child emerging from the lotus represented the (re)birth of the sun god. Thus, Somtous was regarded as a life-giving amuletic symbol, sometimes even referred to as 'Sematawy the child who gives life.' -
Egyptian Green Glazed Steatite Syncretic Amulet of Mut
Third Intermediate Period, circa 1069-735 B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Modelled in the round, formed as the goddess standing before a high-backed throne cradling the head of a standing child to her chest; the goddess with tiered double-crown and tripartite wig; throne with low-relief figure of the lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet to the rear with spread wings forming the arms of the chair. 22.6 grams, 61 mm
with Jean-Phillipe Mariaud de Serres, Paris, France. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above in 1992. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12633-235083. 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.
Mut was a prominent mother goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, associated with creation, motherhood, and the sky. She was the consort of the god Amun and the mother of Khonsu, forming the Theban triad with them in Thebes. Mut's name ("mother" in ancient Egyptian), reflects her role as a divine mother and patroness of motherhood. Sekhmet was revered as a powerful and fierce protector. Her presence was believed to ward off evil and safeguard the people from harm. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was also a manifestation of Hathor, another powerful birth goddess.
