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LOT 0455
Egyptian Steatite Scarab with Bes
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 1/4 in. (10.7 grams, 31 mm).
Plano-convex in section with detailed obverse, the underside with the figure of Bes flanked by adoring baboons and sun discs.
ProvenanceEx London, UK collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 2: Analyse thématique, Beirut, 1976, p.345, no.584, for the baboon and Bes motif.
FootnotesBes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his somewhat fearful appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and believed to protect the wearer from snakes. The depiction of baboons flanking Bes with their arms raised before the sun disk was a common feature on temple wall reliefs. In ancient Egyptian religious literature, baboons heralded the dawn and, thus, the rebirth of the sun.
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LOT 0455
Egyptian Steatite Scarab with Bes
Estimate £150 - 200€170 - 230 (for guidance only)$200 - 270 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Wooden Sarcophagus with Falcon Mummy
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-31 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,190
Two-part wooden (sycamore?) falcon-headed mummiform coffin carved from a single piece of wood, with a tripartite wig and human ears, painted detailing to the eyes, and broad decorative collar; the whole covered with black paint with traces of yellow decoration and inscriptions; inside a mummified falcon wrapped in linen strips. 2.3 kg, 49.5 cm
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12074-218220.
This falcon-headed coffin once contained a so-called 'corn mummy' - a mummiform effigy impregnated with grain, which germinated. Such 'corn mummies' were associated with Osirian regeneration, fertility, and rebirth concepts. The falcon-headed coffin was associated with the powerful funerary deity Sokar-Osiris or Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. It seems that the original contents of this coffin were either lost or discarded and replaced with a mummified bird (falcon?). Interestingly, the most significant number of falcon-headed coffins come from Tuna el-Gebel, the site of an extensive animal mummy necropolis. -
Egyptian Pale Green Faience Shabti
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Mummiform figure with dorsal pillar, hands folded across the chest holding a pick and flail, with seed bag over left shoulder. 29.8 grams, 90 mm
Acquired 1950s-1960s. From the estate of a deceased Norfolk, UK, gentleman. Accompanied by a dealer's information display card. -
Egypto-Phoenician Hardstone Scaraboid Set in Bronze Pendant
Late 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
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.