Egyptian Two-Handled Pottery Bowl

The goddesses Nephthys and Isis flank the youthful Horus, each wearing a headdress composed of identifying hieroglyphs, and the group stands on a rectangular base; the plain back has a suspension loop on the reverse for use as an amulet. 4.25 grams, 28 mm



Ex Alfred Reinhart, Switzerland (1873-1935), Alexandria since 1896; inherited by Carl Leonhard Burckhardt, Basel (1902-1965) and Marianne Burckhardt-Reinhart (1905-1981), Egypt, until 1966, then in Switzerland. Thereafter, by descent to Rosmarin Cereghetti-Burckhardt (1929- 2022). Thence by family, Switzerland.

In a protective gesture, Isis, the mother of Horus, and Nephthys, his aunt, stand on either side of the divine child, each holding one of his hands.

Modelled in the round on a sledge attached by ventral and pectoral fins, a forked tail, a dorsal ridge, and a tapering nose, featuring recessed circular eyes filled with enamel, a horned sun disc headdress fronted by a uraeus, and a suspension loop behind; a few hieroglyphs of a dedication remain visible on the underside of the sledge, which may be interpreted as part of a name ‘….Ta-ir-di-ankhet…’ (…tꜢ di͗ Ꜥnḫ t….). 585 grams, 17 cm



Acquired from Gallery Reiner, Paris, France, 1981. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.150583 dated 29 November 2013. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12375-226676.

The Medjed, a type of elephant-snout fish (Mormyrus kannume), was revered in ancient Egyptian religion, particularly in Per-Medjed, better known by its Greek name, Oxyrhynchus Polis. This version of the name, meaning "city of the sharp-nosed," reflects the fish's distinctive appearance as depicted in Egyptian art. These fish were believed to have consumed the penis of Osiris, the god who was dismembered and scattered by his brother Seth. As sacred creatures, figurines of the Medjed were often adorned with a horned sun-disc headdress worn by the goddesses Hathor and Isis, suggesting a close association with both. Some figurines, like this example, featured suspension loops, allowing them to be worn as pendant amulets.

The rounded cylindrical handle narrowing towards the base and decorated with three horizontal bands; the circular, heavy bronze mirror highly polished and relatively small; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 766 grams total, 29 cm high including stand



with Rupert Wace, Ancient Art, 2003. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13517-263432.

The club-type handle resembles the hieroglyph hem, which can mean 'servant'. Therefore, the handle is thought to represent the mirror disc's servant. This type appears in pictorial scenes; for example, a similar smaller disc mirror with a hem handle is depicted in the Theban tomb (TT 60) of Senet (Davies, N.de G., The Tomb of Antefoker, Vizier of Sesostris I, and of His Wife, Senet, London 1930, pl. 30), and another with a larger disc and a shorter hem handle is depicted on the inside of the coffin of Sebeka (Steindorff, G., Grabfunde des mittleren Reichs in den königlichen Museen zu Berlin. Part 2: Der Sarg des Sebk.-o.- ein Grabfund aus Gebelen, Berlin, 1896, 2, pl. 2).