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LOT 0035
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Figure of Somtous
LATE PERIOD, CIRCA 664-332 B.C.
2 5/8 in. (39.7 grams total, 68 mm including stand).
Modelled in the round, the nude seated figure of the child Somtous, with one hand to his lips and a prominent sidelock, emerging from a lotus flower; mounted on a custom-made stand.
Provenancewith Noriuchi Horiuchi, Tokyo, Japan.
Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above in 1993.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Gaber, H., Servajean, F., Du pays de Pount aux rives du Nil: parfums d’Égypte, Gand, 2024, pp. 196-197, for discussion and an example in bronze.
FootnotesThe earliest attestations of the cult of Somtous, known as Sematawy in ancient Egyptian, date back to the New Kingdom, although it became particularly popular during the Late Period. Associated with Horus (Horsomtous), the symbol of the child emerging from the lotus represented the (re)birth of the sun god. Thus, Somtous was regarded as a life-giving amuletic symbol, sometimes even referred to as 'Sematawy the child who gives life.'
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LOT 0035
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Figure of Somtous
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian 'Becker' Serpentine Vessel
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, circa 1450 B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,800
Piriform jar with wide, flat rim and short neck, narrow neck and flat base. 1.2 kg, 15.5 cm
Ex Becker collection, 1920s. Private collection, Los Angeles, USA, 1990s. Private European collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12576-232111. 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. -
Large Egyptian Bronze Oxyrhynchus Fish of Per-Medjed with Hieroglyphic Inscription
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Modelled in the round on a sledge attached by ventral and pectoral fins, a forked tail, a dorsal ridge, and a tapering nose, featuring recessed circular eyes filled with enamel, a horned sun disc headdress fronted by a uraeus, and a suspension loop behind; a few hieroglyphs of a dedication remain visible on the underside of the sledge, which may be interpreted as ‘….the great give life (to)…’ (…t wr rdi͗ Ꜥnḫ t….); presumably, 'the great' followed the name of a deity, now lost. 585 grams, 17 cm
Acquired from Gallery Reiner, Paris, France, 1981. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.150583 dated 29 November 2013. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12375-226676. 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.
The Medjed, a type of elephant-snout fish (Mormyrus kannume), was revered in ancient Egyptian religion, particularly in Per-Medjed, better known by its Greek name, Oxyrhynchus Polis. This version of the name, meaning "city of the sharp-nosed," reflects the fish's distinctive appearance as depicted in Egyptian art. These fish were believed to have consumed the penis of Osiris, the god who was dismembered and scattered by his brother Seth. As sacred creatures, figurines of the Medjed were often adorned with a horned sun-disc headdress worn by the goddesses Hathor and Isis, suggesting a close association with both. Some figurines, like this example, featured suspension loops, allowing them to be worn as pendant amulets. -
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Egyptian Marble Head of a Queen
Ptolemaic Period, 323-30 B.C.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £820
Modelled in the half-round in Hellenistic style with a stephane and centre-parted hair, serene facial features including hooded eyes and pert lips; mounted on a custom-made wooden display stand. 313 grams total, 10 cm high (14.3 cm high including stand)
Ex Hanna Saba collection, Ambassador to Egypt-USA-France (1909-1992). Private European collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12083-218194. 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.
The head is similar to various portraits of Ptolemaic queens, some of them identified as belonging to the famous Berenice II (246-222 B.C.), some others to Cleopatra VII Philopator (69-30 BC), the lover of Julius Caesar, the spouse of Mark Anthony and the last Queen of Egypt. The analogies with Berenike II’s portrait are noteworthy, especially with the portrait in the Cairo Museum (inv.JE 39517): the diadem and its position on the top of the head, similar physical features, and similar roundness of the cheeks.
