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LOT 0005
Large Egyptian Bronze Statue of the God Ihy with Gold Necklace and Silver Inlaid Eyes
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
9 7/8 in. (899 grams total, 25 cm including stand).
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.
ProvenanceFrom 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.
Cf. the two wooden statues of Ihy found in Tutankhamun's tomb (inv. nos. JE 60731-2), which are depicted holding separately fashioned sistrums. For JE 60732, see Abd Elaziz, M.E.E, 'Royal Offspring Statues Positions in Ancient Egyptian Sculpture in the New Kingdom', JAAUTH Vol.25 No. 1, 2023, p. 256, Fig. 17; for a discussion of the god, see Hoenes, S., 'Ihi', in: Lexikon der Ägyptologie III, Wiesbaden, 1980, cols. 125-126.
FootnotesIhy 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.
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LOT 0005
Large Egyptian Bronze Statue of the God Ihy with Gold Necklace and Silver Inlaid Eyes
Sold for (Inc. bp): £20,800
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Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Statuette
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Bastet in crouching pose with her tail wrapped close to right side of her body, seated on a tongue-shaped base, with a suspension loop on the creature’s back. 90 grams, 55 mm
Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA. -
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Egyptian Seated Gold Bastet Cat Amulet
Late New Kingdom-Third Intermediate Period, circa 1069-900 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £527
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and a suspension loop to the back. 0.54 grams, 8 mm
Ex French art market, 1920s.
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 first 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. -
Egyptian Polychrome Wooden Sokar Falcon
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Statuette depicting the couchant falcon god Sokar with wings folded along the sides of the body; chest, wings, and legs with painted details; inked legend on the underside reading 'Ex George Wathen / 1893 / 12'. 16 grams, 71 mm
Ex George Henry Wathen collection from 1843, who wrote and illustrated the important work 'The Arts, Antiquity and Chronology of Ancient Egypt'. 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.
Wooden images of the raptor-form god Sokar typically decorated the tops of rectangular wooden coffins and canopic chests, which held jars containing the deceased’s mummified organs. Sokar was a protective god of the Memphite necropolis and was often merged with the funerary god Osiris and Ptah, the creator deity of Memphis. George Henry Wathen, FGS (21 November 1816 – 10 November 1879) was a geologist, author, magazine publisher, and South African politician of the Victorian era known primarily for his books on the antiquities of Egypt and the gold fields of Victoria, Australia.
