Egypto-Phoenician Agate Scarab

Modelled in the round with a piriform body and two lateral projections with striations. 7.66 grams, 30 mm



Ex N. Thomas private collection, UK, 1980s-1990s. Accompanied by a previous dealer's sales ticket.

Depicted nude in an advancing pose; silver inlaid eyes, braided sidelock of youth; left hand by his side, drilled to accept a separate element, the other outstretched at a right angle to his body, holding a tapering cylindrical staff, not belonging; he may originally have held a sistrum, an ancient Egyptian percussion instrument, or a menat, both closely associated with the goddess Hathor; here, Ihy wears the Pschent crown with remains of uraeus, and an inlaid gold necklace suspended with an ib pendant around his neck; finely detailed facial features, with engraved Nekhbet vulture with outspread wings at the back of the crown; integral lugs on soles of feet; mounted on a custom-made stand. 899 grams total, 25 cm including stand



From the Singer family collection, Germany, acquired circa 1962. with A.A.L., Geneva, 1980. with Christie's, London, 25 April 2015, no.163 [£50,000-£70,000]. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13309-258229.

Ihy was an Egyptian god associated with music, joy, and ritual celebrations, particularly as the divine child of Hathor and of Horus or Ra. He is typically depicted as a youthful figure, often naked or lightly clothed, wearing a sidelock of youth and carrying a sistrum or menat, both percussion instruments closely connected with ritual performances in Hathor's cult, especially at the temples of Dendera and Edfu. His name is generally understood to mean 'the musician' or 'the one who plays music,' although it may also mean 'calf', a reference to his relationship with the cow-goddess Hathor. Bronze statuettes of Ihy, such as this example, were probably produced as votive offerings dedicated in temples, especially those devoted to Hathor. Worshippers may have commissioned such figures in the hope of obtaining divine favour, protection, fertility, healing, or participation in the blessings linked with music and festivity. Some examples may also have served as cult images used in temple ceremonies or as protective objects placed in domestic or funerary settings.

A mould-made figurine depicting a figure wearing a duplex wig and the projecting apron of an overseer shabti, with defined legs and feet below; the right arm by the side and the left bent across the chest; mounted on a custom-made stand. 44 grams total, 10 cm including stand



From the collection of David Donlan (1947-2025), a dedicated and lifelong collector with a passion for the ancient world and the natural sciences, forming his collection from 1960s onwards, using many reputable dealers across the United Kingdom, including the well-regarded Coincraft and The Parthenon Gallery.

Shabtis in daily life dress appeared in the late 18th Dynasty. By the late Ramesside Period, the general form had developed into the so-called “reis” or overseer figure, often depicted holding a whip. This form gained popularity during the subsequent 21st and 22nd Dynasties. Although this shabti lacks a whip, the bent arm is characteristic of those holding such a tool, suggesting that it belongs to the “reis” type. Ideally, there was one overseer shabti for every ten, typically mummiform, “worker” shabtis.