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LOT 0492
Egyptian Silver Cat Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
3/8 in. (0.33 grams, 8 mm).
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with facial detailing and suspension loop to the back.
ProvenanceFrom an early 20th century collection.
LiteratureCf. 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 provided the wearer with the goddess's protection.
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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Egypto-Phoenician Hardstone Scaraboid Set in Bronze Pendant
Late 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Comprising a carnelian scaraboid with a stylised bird with open wings to the underside, pellets to the field; set in an openwork bronze pendant frame with tubular loop. 3.84 grams, 18 mm
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection. -
Egyptian Alabaster Vase
New Kingdom, circa 1550-1315 B.C. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £156
Round in profile with flattened underside, squared rim (possibly incomplete); with old collector's manuscript note: 'Old Kingdom between 3000-1200 B.C.'. 52 grams, 39 mm
Ex Yorkshire, UK, collection, 1960s-1980s. Accompanied by an old handwritten identification slip. -
Egypto-Phoenician Hardstone Scarab Group
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Comprising five scarabs: one with a djed pillar surrounded by nwb signs; one with a jackal-headed Anubis holding a staff before a figure, with the scales of Maat above; one with a seated baboon sporting a crescent and sun disc headdress facing a royal cartouche of Thutmose III men-kheper-Re; one with a standing bird and other hieroglyphs; the largest one with worn underside. 1.97 grams total, 14-26 mm
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection.
The scarab, which represented the dung beetle, was the most popular amulet in ancient Egypt for approximately two thousand years until the Ptolemaic Period when it gradually fell out of favour. The popularity of scarabs extended beyond the borders of Egypt, and they were also distributed and produced in other regions, such as Phoenicia and Israel. The beetle is named khepri, derived from the verb 'to come into existence', and was considered the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, who was self-engendered. The ancient Egyptians mistakenly believed that the young beetle emerging from the dung ball was the result of an act of self-creation.
