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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.
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 Green Glass Winged Goddess Pectoral
Ptolemaic Period, 300-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
A fragmentary rectangular-section figure of a kneeling goddess with outstretched wings; accurate detailing to the goddess, wearing a tripartite wig with a seshed headband tied at the back, a menat broad collar and a tightly wrapped sheath held up by two straps leaving the breasts exposed, the dress decorated with a lozenge pattern possibly representing beadwork. 15.3 grams, 54 mm
Swiss private collection, 1970s. Galerie Nefer, Zurich, early 1990s. with Christie's New York, 9 December 2008, no.39. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12843-241338. 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.
Although it is not possible to spot holes in the upper and lower edges, this figure was probably a pectoral or chest ornament with an apotropaic function that would have been attached to the wrapping of the mummy. -
Egyptian Mummy Shroud Section with Hieratic Text
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 480-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
A section of woven linen textile featuring lines of neat hieratic text in black. 5.61 grams, 16 cm
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.
From the fifth century B.C., mummy wrappings for the affluent frequently display lines of hieratic script—a cursive variant of Egyptian hieroglyphs used for both daily and religious writings. These often include excerpts from funerary texts like the Book of the Dead, along with prayers and invocations designed to safeguard and guide the deceased in the afterlife. These texts, sometimes accompanied by vignettes, were inscribed directly on the linen strips before or during the mummification process. Some of these bandages could be remarkably long; one example from Brussels, measuring only 6.2 cm in width, spans an incredible 26 metres. -
Egyptian Carnelian Fly Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Carved with ribbed body and eye detailing; drilled through the body for suspension. 0.34 grams, 10 mm
Ex London, UK, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Small fly amulets first appeared in burials during the Naqada II Period, c. 3200 B.C. These amulets grew in popularity and the materials used to make them expanded during the New Kingdom. They are crafted from a variety of materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, faience, and bone. These amulets were thought to protect against insect bites and to ward off troublesome flying creatures through apotropaic magic. Some believe they may have even been intended to symbolise the fly’s fecundity. Additionally, pharaohs would bestow gold fly-shaped pendants as military awards to honour the bravery and fly-like persistence of soldiers in battle.
