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LOT 0042
Large Egyptian Blue Glazed Hieroglyphic Shabti
26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C.
7 1/2 in. (246 grams, 19 cm).
Of mummiform type, wearing a tripartite wig and long plaited divine beard, with arms crossed and the left hand holding a pick, the right hand holding a hoe and the cord of a seed bag hanging over his left shoulder; with carefully rendered cosmetic lines around the eyes, narrow eyebrows, and slightly smiling lips giving it a serene expression characteristic of the finest ushabtis of the period; standing on an integral plinth from which a plain back pillar terminating at the base of the wig extends; nine horizontal rows of hieroglyphic inscription, the Sixth Chapter of the Book of the Dead; water worn.
ProvenanceAcquired on the German art market, 1989-1995.
with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003.
Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
Cf. Janes, G., The Shabti Collections 6: A Selection from the World Museum, Liverpool, Lymm, 2016, pp.494-495, no. 258, for a similar example.
FootnotesShabti figures could serve as a representation of the deceased and paradoxically also as their servant to carry out arduous manual tasks in the afterlife on behalf of their master. Late Period shabtis were most frequently made of faience, such as this example. The body of a shabti was usually in the form of a mummy from the neck down, depicted with agricultural tools in their hands, such as picks, hoes, and baskets. Chapter 6 from the Book of the Dead, lists the tasks expected of the magical figure. By the Late Period, hundreds of shabtis were often provided for the burial.
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LOT 0042
Large Egyptian Blue Glazed Hieroglyphic Shabti
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Limestone Fragment Group
Middle Kingdom, 2035-1550 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,404
Comprising four fragments of dressed and plastered wall, each with painted hieroglyphs in blue, green and black shades, some with low-relief modelling. 1.03 kg total, 10.1-27.7 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
These fragments seem to be sections of tomb wall reliefs. They include portions of an offering formula, mention of a 'district', a festival, and the symbol of Anubis. The decoration in different parts of some Middle Kingdom tombs had scenes and texts applied in paint or executed with raised relief carving. -
Egyptian Cylinder Seal with Hieroglyphs
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Steatite cylinder producing a decorative top and bottom border enclosing a scene depicting a nefer sign flanked by two falcons surmounting the hieroglyph for gold, nub, and another scene to the side depicting a scarab beetle with a double plumed sun disc above; with a suspension hole running through the cylinder's centre. 4.65 grams, 25 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
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Egyptian Bronze Figure of Harpocrates
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,250
Seated nude statuette of Harpocrates, with legs together and left arm by his side, right arm bent across the chest with forefinger raised to his lips, wearing a nemes headdress with uraeus on the front and a bold sidelock on the right side, surmounted by an elaborate hem-hem crown consisting of three conical atef crowns each topped with a sun disc, with an ostrich plume to the side of the outermost, and flanked by two uraei with sun discs, all supported on two horizontal ram's horns; semi-naturalistic anatomical detailing; feet resting on an integral square plinth, mounted on a wooden stand. 584 grams, 18.5 cm
Ex pre-war collection, Switzerland. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075707. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12371-226682.
Harpocrates is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian Hor-pa-khered, which translates as 'Horus the Child'. This refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. Statuettes of Harpocrates could provide the dedicator with the same protection that Isis gave her beloved son.
