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LOT 0021
Egyptian Gold Ring with Agate Bull
NEW KINGDOM, 1550-1292 B.C.
1 in. (4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)).
Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved Apis bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to right.
ProvenancePrivate collection, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.
For similar see Musée du Louvre, Paris: AF 11092 and N 2090; The British Museum: 1947,1011.2 and 1918,0411.15; Metropolitan Museum of Art: 30.8.418, and the Fitzwilliam Museum: E.GA.21.1947.
FootnotesThe Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and later associated with Osiris and Ra. Regarded as an intermediary between the gods and humanity, the Apis bull was chosen based on specific physical characteristics, such as a black coat with unique white markings. Once identified, it was housed in a grand temple in Memphis, where it was treated with great reverence, adorned with jewellery, and participated in important religious ceremonies. Upon its death, the bull underwent elaborate mummification and burial rituals, symbolising its transition to the afterlife and its continued divine role. The cult of the Apis bull highlights the Egyptians’ deep connection to animals as symbols of divine power and their belief in the interconnectedness of the mortal and spiritual worlds.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0021
Egyptian Gold Ring with Agate Bull
Estimate £6,000 - 8,000€6,960 - 9,280 (for guidance only)$8,100 - 10,800 (for guidance only)
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Romano-Egyptian Silver Snake Ring
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.DSold for (Inc. bp): £156
Comprising a coiled D-section body and a snake-head finial. 4.02 grams, 20.64 mm overall, 14.29 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G 1/2, USA 3 1/2, Europe 5.55, Japan 5)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Egyptian Bronze Ibis Statue Foot
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Modelled in the round with three spreading claws and spur to rear, attachment lug to underside. 35 grams, 62 mm
From the collection of a Buckinghamshire, UK, collector established from the earlier 1960s. -
Large Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
Circa 7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Fragment from a tunic in coarse linen and purple violet wool, preserving the ornamentation of neck and chest, decorated with alternating medallions, with figures enclosed within the orbiculi of the vertical braids (clavi), representing nude or lightly dressed dancers; the upper part of the fragment featuring a decoration of red triangles descending downwards. 224 grams, 62 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
This iconographic theme, originating from the pagan repertoire of Greek origin, was common on late Roman tunics: it evoked the joyful processions of Dionysus' servants.
