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LOT 0027
Egyptian Thoth as an Ibis with Maat
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-30 B.C.
1 1/2 in. (9.15 grams, 37 mm).
A blue-glazed composition amulet in the form of an ibis (representing the god Thoth) seated on a wedge-shaped base, facing a figure of Maat appearing as a diminutive stooping female with an ostrich feather; some details to both figures rendered in a darker blue glaze; suspension loop to the rear of the bird's neck.
ProvenanceAcquired from Dr Jan Beekmans, circa 1984.
UK private collection.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 26.7.873, for similar; cf. The Saint Louise Art Museum, object number 818:1940, for a very similar parallel.
FootnotesMaat and the moon god Thoth, husband and wife, together embody wisdom and cosmic order. As a divine couple, they served the sun god, Re.
Like Thoth, the ancient Egyptians connected the ibis with the moon, owing to its crescent moon-shaped beak. The ibis was well known in antiquity for its refusal to drink unhealthy and poisoned water, or to kill poisonous reptiles, and set mankind an example of cleanliness; thus, like the god Thoth, the ibis offered protection against dangerous forces and served as a model for purity and good sense. Maat embodies the order that Thoth protects. Her symbol, an ostrich feather, references a bird that inhabits desert and savannah habitats, although it must never wander too far away from rivers and lakes. The ostrich cannot fly, but it is a fast runner and a strong fighter.
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Egyptian Seated Falcon Amulet
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A carved carnelian amuletic pendant of the falcon god Horus, sitting on a rectangular base; suspension loop behind the shoulders. 1.65 grams, 17 mm
Acquired 1980s. Private collection of L.H., Staffordshire, UK. Property of a Sussex, UK, teacher. -
Egyptian Head of a Noblewoman from a Banquet Scene
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A limestone frieze section which once part of a banquet scene, the fragment carved with the head and upper body of a noblewoman facing right, wearing a broad collar and an elaborate wig of long, tightly curled locks with a fringe of twisted strands, decorative headband with a lotus flower to the front; remains of pigmentation. 138 grams, 84 mm
From an old UK collection. From the private collection of Alf Baxendale (1941-2016) part 2, keen Egyptologist, member of the Egyptology Society, trustee of the Amarna Trust; thence by descent. Accompanied by an identification display card. Accompanied by a copy of his obituary published in Horizon, The Amarna Project and Amarna Trust newsletter, Issue 18, 2017, p.21, by Barry John Kemp, CBE, FBA, Professor Emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge and directing excavations at Amarna in Egypt. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. -
Egyptian Bust of Ptah
Late Period, 26th-30th Dynasty, circa 664-343 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
A white limestone figure of the god Ptah with false beard, wearing an enveloping cloak and a broad wesekh-collar, holding the shaft of a was sceptre; serene, oval face with almond-shaped eyes and fleshy lips; remnants of dorsal pillar to reverse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.39 kg total, 22.3 cm high including stand
Ex private Belgium collection, 1960s. with Vanderkindere Auctions, Brussels, Belgium, 26 February 2013, lot 261. English private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11605-199743. Accompanied by a scholarly note by Egyptologist Paul Whelan.
Ptah is attested from the beginning of ancient Egypt’s dynastic history and was a creator god, a god of craftsmen, and the patron deity of the Memphite region. The principal temple of the god was located in the city of Memphis. The fragmentary back pillar on this statuette indicates that it was most probably a temple offering, originally inscribed with an invocation to Ptah together with the donor’s name. Such votive figurines with back pillars naming the god and the dedicator occur in various materials, including faience and stone.
