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LOT 0527
Egyptian Hardstone Headrest Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1/2 in. (1.14 grams, 12 mm).
Carved miniature headrest with rectangular base. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Constable collection, 1990s.
Ex Ancient & Oriental, UK.
Ex P. Morris collection.
Accompanied by an old photograph and a previous catalogue cutting.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p. 94, fig. 95d, for a similar example.
FootnotesThe headrest, or weres amulet, was placed under the mummy's head to protect it from damage, and so ensure their rebirth. Most are made of haematite, though other materials, such as faience, were sometimes used. The headrest’s role is specified in Chapter 166 of the Book of the Dead. By the Late Period, they were attached to or inserted into the mummy wrappings.
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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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 Multi-Stranded Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Four-stranded designer necklace composed of polychrome beads of mainly disc and cylindrical types. 27 grams, 81 cm long
Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F.A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014.
For thousands of years, artisans in Egypt created vibrant ceramics to echo the beauty of rare jewels. These ornaments were created with almost every material, colour, and texture imaginable, and they come from across Egypt and beyond: vibrant blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, glossy black obsidian from Turkey, and aqua-green turquoise from the Sinai. They were worn in life and, after death, they served as precious ornamentation for mummies. -
Egyptian Blue Glazed Faience Shabti
Ptolemaic Period, circa 305-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Characteristic mummiform figure wearing a tripartite wig and a false beard, with a seed-bag suspended over the shoulder, a plain dorsal column, and with arms crossed and hands holding agricultural tools. 72 grams, 12.5 cm
From the collection of a late Tavistock, Devon, UK, gentleman, formed from the 1990s. Accompanied by an old handwritten date note on British Museum, Department of Egyptian Antiquities headed paper, where the second part relates to this item.
