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LOT 0435
Egyptian Silver Bastet as Seated Cat Amulet
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
1/4 in. (0.325 grams, 7 mm).
Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx London, UK, art market, 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 29(c).
FootnotesThe cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets offered the wearer the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was usually shown with a cat's head. She is sometimes portrayed with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Mixed Scarab and Scaraboid Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Comprising (from left to right, top to bottom): 1) a scarab with an oval border containing a goose, nefer(?), and a reed leaf; 2) a scarab with an oval border featuring a triple lotus flower motif at the top and bottom, with a middle row of floral bundles; 3) a scaraboid with a long oval border containing a cross pattern incorporating scrolls, coiled cords, and floral elements; 4) a scarab with an oval border featuring a hes-jar flanked by two cobras; 5) a scarab with a standing male figure holding a sceptre/mace and a flail, flanked by two highly stylised rearing cobras; 6) a plain scarab; 7) and a scarab with an oval border containing the name Amun-Re, a neb symbol, and a lotus flower. 13 grams total, 11-23 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Faience Ibis Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Flat rectangular base with crouching ibis in profile with curved beak resting on an object (possibly a diminutive seated figure of Maat), details to the feathered body, pale green glaze. 1.56 grams, 26 mm
From an early 20th century collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Banded Agate Kohl Pot
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Cone-shaped body with traces of lug handles on the upper third; narrow opening at the top with a thin, flattened rim. 94 grams, 75 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This vessel's unusual triangular shape is thought to be limited to the Late Period; other comparable examples are known (e.g., Barbotin, C., Collection égyptienne: Musée Granet - Aix-en-Provence, Aix-en-Provence, 1995, p. 166, no. 97).