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LOT 0019
Egyptian Gold Goddess Bastet Cat Amulet
LATE NEW KINGDOM, 1070-900 B.C.
3 1/8 in. (0.52 grams, 8 mm).
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the back.
ProvenanceFrom an early 20th century French collection.
LiteratureCf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 29(c).
FootnotesThe 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.
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Egyptian Faience Scarab with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Naturalistic detailing to the blue stained body and legs with section of openwork between the front and back legs; hieroglyphs on base giving the good luck message 'When Amun is behind you, do not fear'; pierced for suspension. 1.72 grams, 15 mm
Ex collection of Emil Saad, Paris-Alexandria. -
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Egyptian Faience Beaded Mummy Mask with Sons of Horus
Ptolemaic Period, 332-31 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £445
Restrung netted beadwork panel of annular and tubular glazed composition beads in blues, greens, black, cream and red-brown colours, depicting a mummy face mask with false beard, a scarab with extended wings below, the 'Four Sons of Horus’ beneath the scarab, joined together with areas of open netting of tubular beads; mounted in a glazed frame with papyrus backing. 127 grams, 28 cm
Previously with Mariaud de Serres, Paris, France. From a Paris gallery.
The Four Sons of Horus were deities responsible for protecting the internal organs of the deceased. The human-headed Imsety protected the liver, the baboon-headed Hapy protected the lungs, the jackal-headed Duamutef protected the stomach, and the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef protected the intestines. -
Romano-Egyptian Terracotta Figure of Eros
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,850
Depicted nude in a dynamic pose with his legs apart and the weight of the body upon his right leg, standing in front of a two storey structure, probably an oven; his left arm raised and right arm extended in front of his torso and resting on the edge of the structure; the oven painted pink at the top and white at the bottom with an offering receptacle at floor level. 232 grams, 15 cm
Ex Dr Daniel Marie Fouquet (1859-1914), Cairo. with Pierre Berge & Associes, Auction, Archaeology 29 November 2014, no.193. Accompanied by a French cultural export permit, no.161028. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant pages in: Perdrizet, P., Les Terres Cuites Grecques d'Egypt de la Collection Fouquet, Nancy, 1921, where it is published. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12000-211884.
The image of the ‘Eros Baker’ is part of a wide production of Roman terracotta imitating Greek models, although in somewhat crude way. In the Roman age, designs tended to be commonplace and were often indifferent copies of Greek originals. However, the production of terracotta in Hellenistic Egypt continued without interruption and the most subjects of these votive statuettes (in this case probably a baker invoking the blessing of the god upon his activity) were religious, Eros being one of the favourites.
