Egyptian Hardstone Scarab

Modelled seated on an oblong base; accompanied by a custom-made display base. 1.27 grams, 13 mm high (6.02 grams total, 33 mm including stand)



Ex Mrs Zimmermann Koutoulakis, December 1977. Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, collection between 1950-1990s.

Decorated using turquoise glaze and painted face, collar and hand detailing, wearing short wig and Sidelock of Youth (typical of a Sem priest); column of hieroglyphs to the lower body reading 'King's son, Sem priest of Ptah Khaemwaset, true of voice'; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 55 grams, 11.6 cm (159 grams total, 13 cm high including stand)



Acquired on the London art market, early 1980s. Private European collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11837-206506.

There are various short inscriptions found on faience shabtis of Khaemwaset. The inscription on this shabti is notable for including the uncommon possessive element 'of Ptah' following the writing of 'Sem(-priest)'. It features on none of the inscriptions on the 43 published faience shabtis in the Louvre, but is found on an alabaster shabti of Khaemwaset in the Vatican's Museo Gregoriano Egizio (inv.no.19332). Also, the arm sign serving as a phonetic complement in the writing of his name is fairly uncommon on his faience shabtis, although it is found, for instance, in the inscriptions on two in the Louvre (inv.nos. N 456 A and N 768.14) and on another in the Amasis Collection (inv.no.S-1577).

Modelled seated on an arch-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the reverse. 0.50 grams, 8 mm



From an early 20th century French collection.

The goddess Bastet was considered to be the daughter of the sun god and was originally shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she is portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she is 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 some time around the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She is still associated with the destructive power of the sun and is 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 the most obvious in Bastet and she is 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, and 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 the Pharaoh Amenhotep II describes how his enemies are slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak where she is known as the "Lady of Asheru" which places 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 not only Bubastis but also Saqqara and Memphis.