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LOT 0475
Egyptian Pre-Dynastic Stone Frog
4TH MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/8 in. (537 grams, 81 mm).
Pyramidal in form with shallow-carved hip and facial detailing.
Provenancewith Artemis Gallery, Munich, Germany, 2001.
Private collection, Europe.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12580-232124.
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.
Cf. Teeter, E. (ed.), Before the Pyramids, The origins of Egyptian Civilization, Chicago, 2011, fig.65, p.211, for a similar stone frog.
FootnotesThe frog had a great role in ancient Egyptian mythology and was connected with the mythology of creation. A number of gods and goddesses were connected with the frog such as Heqet, Ptah, and Heh. The connection with the god Ptah as a god of creation was probably due to the idea that Ptah was the only god who created the world in ancient Egypt through his heart and his tongue. Every work of the god came about through what his heart devised and his tongue commanded. Frogs were often associated with Hekat, deity of birth and fecundity. Amulets of frogs were frequent votive gifts at such Predynastic and Archaic sites at Abydos, Naqada, and Saqqara.
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LOT 0475
Egyptian Pre-Dynastic Stone Frog
Estimate £1,800 - 2,400€2,090 - 2,780 (for guidance only)$2,430 - 3,240 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Gold Goddess Bastet Cat Amulet
Late New Kingdom, 1070-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, suspension loop on the back. 0.53 grams, 8 mm
From an early 20th century French collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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 Bronze Bastet Cat Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Modelled in the round as a seated cat on an oblong base, large pointed ears with a notch behind them. 14 grams, 30 mm
Private collection, 1970s. Private collection, 2017. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
In ancient times, the cat was revered as the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, who was worshipped in Bubastis, located in the Nile Delta. She was a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets provided the wearer with the goddess's protection. -
Phoenician Inscribed Bronze Scaraboid Seal
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Plain domed body pierced longitudinally, inscribed underside. 8.9 grams, 17 mm
Ex London, UK, gentleman, 1990. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Although it is difficult to make out for certain, the outer design appears to be composed of the 'a-n-r' hieroglyphs. The signs do not form a word and are thought to have been a decorative device used by Asiatic scarab makers, employing recognisably Egyptian hieroglyphs.
