Egyptian Wooden Shabti Box Lid

Carved in the round, the handle formed as the extended nude female body, the extended arms holding out a pear-shaped bowl; separate carved head with bobbed hair; offered with a flattish lid with attached goose's neck and partial head; female head possibly a later addition. 42 grams, 17.5 cm



Part of an old collection dating back to the 19th century. Ex property of a gentleman, acquired before the 1980s. Private collection of Mr T.H., Norfolk, UK.

Carved in the round with four stubby feet and hatched body, broad lip and with lug on the reverse. 99 grams, 45 mm



Part of an old collection dating back to the 19th century. Ex property of a gentleman, acquired before the 1980s. Private collection of Mr T.H., Norfolk, UK.

Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the back. 0.52 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 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.