Egyptian Hardstone Miniature Vessel

Modelled sleek and muscular in the round, the ears and eyes alert creating a dignified expression; piercings through the ears; hollow-formed; mounted on a custom-made display base. 629 grams total, 21.5 cm high including stand



Acquired from a French dealer, 1965. Swiss private collection. UK private collection, 1993. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11838-206398.

Possibly intended as a container for the mummified remains of a cat, or from a statuette of the goddess Bastet. The feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. In ancient Egypt, cats were the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet; such objects were often given as donations at her temples.

Part of a tunic, the rectangular segment in yellow and green linen and wool, decorated with acanthus flowers inside a kantharos, the crenellated edge with palmettes alternating with dots. 90 grams, 38.2 x 21 cm



Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.

Tapestry technique on natural light yellow wool upon linen. It is highly probable that this tapestry was part of a tunic decoration, a clavus, running vertically on the breast and on the back of it. The decoration conformed to a specific layout with the back mirroring the front. These matching bands, called clavi, ran on either side of the neck. They could be full length or like our specimen, stop above the waistline.

Decorated with a variety of coloured glazes and including a broad range of bead types. 71 grams total, 1-17 mm



UK gallery, early 2000s.