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LOT 0020
Egypto-Roman Seated Limestone Statuette of Bes
PTOLEMAIC-ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 332 B.C.-300 A.D.
7 1/4 in. (942 grams, 18.5 cm).
Modelled in the round in a crouching pose on a rectangular base; the beard modelled in hanks with curled ends, the eyes recessed to accept inserts, mouth gaping; animal head amulet on the chest suspended on a cord; socket to reverse; chipped.
ProvenanceBonhams, London, 4 July 1995, no.36.
Private collection, New York, USA.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13294-255443.
Cf. Walker, S., Higgs, P. (eds.), Cleopatra of Egypt from History to Myth, p. 99, no. 119, for a similarly modelled terracotta figure in the British Museum (EA 22378); Roeder, G., Die Denkmäler des Pelizaeus-Museums zu Hildesheim, Hildesheim 1921, p. 78, for a similar figure.
FootnotesFrom the New Kingdom onwards, Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance, Bes served as the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and was also believed to shield them from snakes.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0020
Egypto-Roman Seated Limestone Statuette of Bes
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,000 (EUR 1,160; USD 1,350) +BP*
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Romano-Egyptian Agate Scarab Engraved with the Goddess Fortuna Mounted in a Gold Ring
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Scarab with incuse image to the underside of Fortuna with cornucopia and ship's rudder; in later gold swivel ring. 4.34 grams, 22.63 mm overall, 19.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Egyptian Yellow Faience Pataikos Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Depicted nude and standing on a rectangular base, with a large head, and short arms resting above his bendy legs. 4.87 grams, 32 mm
From an early 20th century UK collection. Accompanied by a previously illustrated catalogue card with provenance.
Herodotus mentions Pataikos as a dwarf-like depiction of Ptah, although the ancient Egyptian name of the god remains unclear. These small amulets symbolise Ptah’s immense magical power, which helps to protect the wearer from dangerous creatures such as snakes and crocodiles. The role of the deity in the funerary sphere is explained in Spell 164 of the Book of the Dead, where Pataikos is invoked to safeguard the deceased’s heart against attacks by enemies and against the decay of the body. -
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Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Hypogees Papyrus Manuscript from Thebes
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 68 from Vol .II of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entiled Thèbes. Hypogées. Manuscrit sur papyrus. 256 grams, 104 x 68.5 cm
From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The papyrus manuscript was recovered from an underground tomb chamber (hypogeum). The text is written in a cursive style of hieroglyphs known as hieratic.
