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LOT 0517
Egyptian Steatite Bust in a Gold Pendant
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
1 1/2 in. (8.75 grams, 38 mm).
Fragment of a carved panel or vessel depicting a female bust - possibly a queen or Isis - modelled in half-round relief, wearing a loosely draped tunic, a tiered wesekh collar, and a heavy curled, tripartite wig; reverse with lotus flower ropework and other ornamentation; mounted in a later gold suspension frame.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Southern France, 1970s.
Acquired on the English art market.
Cf. Walker, S., Higgs, P. (eds.), Cleopatra of Egypt from History to Myth, London, 2001, pp. 76-77, no. 56, for the stela depiction of Queen Arsinoe III wearing a similar garment; pp.160-161, no.160, for a statue of Cleopatra VII wearing a tripartite wig with similarly tight curls.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0517
Egyptian Steatite Bust in a Gold Pendant
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Brown Quartzite Figure of the Baboon God Thoth
New Kingdom, circa 1550-1070 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,778
Carved in a typical pose, sitting on its haunches with its tail curving around the right side, its front paws resting on its knees and protruding beneath its thick furry pelt, with incised detailing, its feet either side of the phallus, the head with bulbous, striated hair on either side, chipped, snout restored; seated on a high shrine-shaped plinth with squared front and rounded back, featuring a cavetto cornice and roll detailing on the upper part. 1.15 kg, 15 cm
From a deceased American estate, 1970-1989. with Bonhams, London, 28 October 2009, no.35. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams 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.12368-226706.
The baboon was an animal manifestation of the god Thoth, the patron deity of Hermopolis Magna, who was revered for his association with knowledge, writing, and healing. -
Egyptian Bronze Osiris Statuette
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Standing mummiform figure, wearing the conical Atef crown with flanking ostrich plumes and frontal uraeus, holding the crook (heka) and flail (nekhakha) regalia; minor chip to the crown. 16.5 grams, 69 mm
Ex Constable collection, 1990s. Ex P. Morris collection. -
Egyptian Steatite Bifacial Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A double-sided rectangular amulet; one side features a central cartouche with the hieroglyphic name of the god “Amun” and a neb sign, flanked by two Maat feathers, all framed by a hatched border at the top and bottom; the other side depicts the reclining ram of Amun-Re with the seated figure of Maat in front, and the word "Amun" in hieroglyphs above the ram; drilled for suspension. 2.26 grams, 18 mm
Ex Constable collection, 1990s. Ex P. Morris collection.
An amulet with a similar overall design was discovered in a Ramesside-period tomb at Tell el-Retaba, an important production centre involved in trade with Syria-Palestine and protected by a fortress (Petrie, W.M.F., Duncan, J.G., Hyksos and Israelite Cities, London, 1906, pl. XXXIV, Tomb 8).