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LOT 0044
Egyptian Steatite Scaraboid for Pharaoh Shabaka
LATE 8TH-EARLY 9TH CENTURY B.C.
1 in. (7.65 grams, 27 mm).
Bifacial carved scaraboid; reverse with royal cartouche for Pharaoh Shabaka, flanked by the uraeus of Lower and Upper Egypt, surmounted by the Pharaonic epithet “King of the Upper and Lower Egypt” (“king of the reed” and “king of the bee”) and by the title “the son of Ra” and below, the sign of neb (damaged) “lord”; obverse with on the left, wedjat (winged cobra with the red crown – Lower Egypt), embracing with his wings shen (solar symbol) and in the centre, a lion with a ram's head, crowned and on the right, wedjat with the white crown of the Upper Egypt; on the upper section, a scarab with opened wings, instead of a lotus flower is depicted on the lower section.
ProvenanceUK private collection before 2000.
On the UK art market.
Property of a London gentleman.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12081-217354.
Cf. Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 1: Les scarabées royaux, Beirut, 1971, p.199, no. 811, for a scarab of Shabaka with similar design elements.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0044
Egyptian Steatite Scaraboid for Pharaoh Shabaka
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Gold Goddess Bastet Cat Amulet
Late New Kingdom-Third Intermediate Period, circa 1069-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the back. 0.48 grams, 8 mm
From an early 20th century French collection.
The goddess Bastet was believed to be the daughter of the sun god and was shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she was first portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she was associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred during the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She was still associated with the destructive power of the sun and was shown on the prow of the solar boat, decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are obvious in Bastet and she was seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god; the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and, in a text from Karnak, Amenhotep II described his enemies being slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak, where she is known as the 'Lady of Asheru' which aligns her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region, at Bubastis, and was known as Per-Bastet or 'the House of Bastet.' Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at Bubastis and at Saqqara and Memphis. -
Egyptian Gold Mounted Feldspar(?) Pendant
Late Period, 664-332 B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £195
A hexagonal faience plaque set into a possibly later polyhedral gold cup with loop to the apex. 2.00 grams, 13 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s. -
Egyptian Bronze Sekhmet Statuette
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Standing figure of Sekhmet with arms held at her sides, wearing a wig and tight-fitting robe; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 30 grams total, 73 mm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Sekhmet was a ferocious and aggressive deity, the consort of Ptah, and closely associated with the king. An amulet would imbue its wearer with her power.