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LOT 0056
Egyptian Granite Seated Figure
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
7 3/8 in. (4.1 kg, 18.7 cm).
Fragment of a statue of an official, 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.
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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LOT 0056
Egyptian Granite Seated Figure
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Silver Bastet Cat Amulet
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-32 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £260
Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 1.55 grams, 12 mm
Ex London, UK, gentleman's collection, 1990s.
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. -
Egyptian Bronze Seated Isis with Horus Statue
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Modelled enthroned, wearing a cow's horn headdress with a solar disc; suckling the infant Horus seated transversely on her lap; Horus modelled with a side-lock of youth; mounted on a custom-made wooden stand. 405 grams total, 17.5 cm including stand
Property of a deceased gentleman's collection, 1980s. Ex John Nicholson Auction, Haslemere, Surrey, UK. -
Egyptian Turquoise Blue Faience Shabti with Hieroglyphic Inscription
New Kingdom, 19th-20th Dynasty, 1292-1069 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Mummiform shabti wearing a tripartite wig, with arms crossed and holding a hoe in each hand, and cords for a water pot hanging from the back on each shoulder; a seed bag suspended below the wig; the outline of the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, hoes, water pots, and seed bag painted black; a central column of hieroglyphs on the front, with the opening preserved reading "The Osiris..."; repaired. 98 grams, 13.2 cm
From a UK private collection formed in the 1970s. Ex Ancient Relics. Ex D.S. collection, West Sussex, 1990s-2000s. Accompanied by an illustrated catalogue sheet and a previous catalogue information slip.
