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LOT 0019
Egyptian Granite Seated Figure of an Official
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 3/8 in. (4.1 kg, 18.7 cm).
Comprising the torso and legs clad in an ankle-length robe and seated on a rectangular-section seat with stepped base and short, curved backrest and rear dorsal pillar; the left hand carved with the palm resting along the thigh; the right hand similarly placed but with the hand gripping a folded piece of cloth of which the ends are draped over the lower thigh above the knee; traces of an old label to reverse.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe.
with Bonhams & Brooks, 8th November 2001, no.265.
Private collection, Europe.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams & Brooks catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12584-232097.
Cf. Habachi, L., Elephantine IV: The Sanctuary of Heqaib II, pls. 39-41, for a complete statue from the time of Amenemhat II- Senwosret II with similar treatment of the lower portion of the garment; Oppenheim, A., et al (eds.), Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom, pp.128-130, cat. 63, for an official from the reign of Senwosret III wearing a longer cloak-like garment and seated on a similarly shaped seat.
FootnotesThe official would have been shown wearing a longer cloak-like garment rather than a waist-height kilt, as the line of the folded edge is visible above where a waistband would typically be.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0019
Egyptian Granite Seated Figure of an Official
Estimate £2,500 - 3,500€2,900 - 4,060 (for guidance only)$3,380 - 4,730 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,389 (EUR 1,611; USD 1,875) ‡+BP*
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Large Egyptian Green Faience Figure of Nefertum with Figure of Sekhmet to the Reverse
Ptolemaic Period, circa 332-30 B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Modelled standing with arms held vertically at his sides, wearing a tripartite wig surmounted by a lotus flower flanked by scrolled leaves; dorsal pillar with low-relief image of Sekhmet in lioness-headed form and solar disc above; mounted on a custom-made stand. 480 grams total, 19.5 cm high including stand
with Art Ancient, London, UK. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13352-257009.
Nefertum is often depicted with a prominent lotus blossom above his head, symbolising both his divine beauty and his connection to the sun's rejuvenating power. He is sometimes portrayed with a lion's head or a lioness’s mane, or, as here, accompanied by an image of his lioness mother, Sekhmet, on his back, emphasising his link to her fierce and healing powers. -
Romano-Egyptian Faience and Other Bead Necklace String
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Composed mainly of melon, oblate and spherical beads, with two large discoid beads as a central feature, restrung. 34 grams, 33.7 cm
Ex Ancient Art Shop, Windsor, UK, 1990s. Ex private West County, UK, collection. -
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Egyptian Bronze Seated Bastet Cat Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Bids: 4 | Current Bid: £600
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and a suspension loop to the back. 5.76 grams, 21 mm
UK private collection before 2000. London collection, acquired on the UK art market.
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.
