Loading, please wait...
LOT 0013
Large Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
8 1/2 in. (629 grams total, 21.5 cm high including stand).
Modelled sleek and muscular in the round, the ears and eyes alert creating a dignified expression; piercings through the ears; hollow-formed; mounted on a custom-made display base.
ProvenanceAcquired from a French dealer, 1965.
Swiss private collection.
UK private collection, 1993.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11838-206398.
Cf. The British Museum, museum numbers EA25565 and EA64391 for comparable examples; cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession numbers 86.1.80 and 56.16.1, for similar.
FootnotesPossibly intended as a container for the mummified remains of a cat, or from a statuette of the goddess Bastet. The feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. In ancient Egypt, cats were the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet; such objects were often given as donations at her temples.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Egyptian Mounted Coptic Textile with Hares
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Comprising a double band for sleeve (segmenta), decorated with vegetal and animal patterns, forming two narrow bands with a vertical succession of stylised spirals of foliage, alternating figures of hares. 94 grams, 43 x 23 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
Tapestry technique of wool on linen. It is highly probable that this tapestry was part of a tunic decoration, a double segmentum, applied on the wrists of the garment and decorating the lower part of the sleeves. -
Romano-Egyptian Glass Head Collection
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Three glass faces including a lion head and two male portrait heads. 61 grams total, 32-36 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
These appear to have been blown or pressed when semi-molten into a hollowed reverse-shaped mould form. -
Egyptian Faience Hieroglyphic Scarab Group
Second Intermediate Period, circa 1650 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Comprising: one in white glazed composition with figure of a baboon (the god Thoth) to the underside; four similar in blue-turquoise with hieroglyphs. 12.1 grams total, 15-19 mm
From a family collection formed 1900-1950; by descent circa 1980.