Loading, please wait...
LOT 0446
Egyptian Green Glass Winged Goddess Pectoral
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 300-30 B.C.
2 1/8 in. (15.3 grams, 54 mm).
A fragmentary rectangular-section figure of a kneeling goddess with outstretched wings; accurate detailing to the goddess, wearing a tripartite wig with a seshed headband tied at the back, a menat broad collar and a tightly wrapped sheath held up by two straps leaving the breasts exposed, the dress decorated with a lozenge pattern possibly representing beadwork.
ProvenanceSwiss private collection, 1970s.
Galerie Nefer, Zurich, early 1990s.
with Christie's New York, 9 December 2008, no.39.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's 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.12843-241338.
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.
Specimens of this kind of amulet are preserved in several museums around the world; e.g. faience winged goddess made in three pieces from Deir el-Medineh, dating to the Ramesside Period, preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York (Accession number 1974.192); faience winged goddess, dating to the Late New Kingdom or the Third Intermediate Period, preserved in the Met of New York (accession number 26.7.982a–c); see Corteggiani, J.-P., L'Égypte ancienne et ses dieux, Fayard, Paris, 2007.
FootnotesAlthough it is not possible to spot holes in the upper and lower edges, this figure was probably a pectoral or chest ornament with an apotropaic function that would have been attached to the wrapping of the mummy.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Egyptian Wooden Shabti
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, 1293-1185 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Carved in the round with detailed tripartite wig, hands crossed at the chest; some painted and gilded(?) plaster surface; mounted on a later base. 332 grams, 26.9 cm
From the collection of Mrs Kilvert, who fled from France to England during the French Revolution. Received by gift to the Hodge family from Mrs Kilvert at Bath in 1864-1865; thence by descent to the grandchildren of Mr John Hodge, a private London tutor. From the collection of a New Zealand family; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12846-239090. 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.
A shabti, also known as ushabti or shawabti, is a small funerary figurine found in ancient Egyptian tombs, dating from around 2000 BCE to 30 BCE. Its main purpose was to serve as a servant for the deceased in the afterlife, carrying out manual tasks such as farming or irrigation. Shabtis were often inscribed with a magical formula from the Book of the Dead to ensure they would animate when summoned. The distinctive, lighter-coloured, and previously part-gilded upper body decoration, contrasting with the black used for the rest of the figure, may symbolise the moment of rebirth, when the face of the deceased was bathed in the sun's rays. -
Egyptian Faience Anubis Amulet
664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With rectangular base and dorsal pillar pierced at the shoulders, Anubis in human form with short klt, jackal's head with large ears. 4.92 grams, 46 mm
Collection of an amateur, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s. Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Bronze Cat Head with Incised Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,777
The head of goddess Bastet modelled in the round with alert ears and eyes, fine whisker detailing to the gently elongated muzzle, hair detailing to the inner edges of the ears and the lower outer edges pierced to accept separate earrings, incised scarab on the top of the head. 92.5 grams, 58 mm
Elizabeth Helene Demarest Osten Driesen (1892-1931). Given as a gift to her granddaughter, Lady Annabel Sutherland, by descent in the late 1960s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12762-237137. 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.
In ancient Egypt, the cat was venerated as the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, whose principal cult centre was Bubastis in the Nile Delta. Although cats were once part of folk practice, their veneration as part of formal cults spread across Egypt during the Late Period. Bastet was closely linked to lion-headed goddesses like Sekhmet, Tefnut, and Pakhet, and the cat itself became associated with solar imagery: the Book of the Dead portrays the sun god as a Great Cat vanquishing Apophis beneath the sacred Ished Tree. The cat could also embody the Eye of the Sun or, more often in Bastet’s case, the Eye of the Moon. Mummified cats were frequently dedicated as votive offerings, and some of their feline-shaped coffins were adorned with finely crafted bronze heads to enhance their divine likeness.
