Large Egyptian Faience Cat Amulet

Modelled in the round, Bes standing nude with a lion's tail, wearing a feathered headdress. 3.07 grams, 42 mm



Olivia Tiano, Paris, 1993. Private collection, London, UK.

From 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.

Square in plan with transverse piercing, obverse with three panels: the left bearing a cartouche surmounted by two plumes containing the pharaoh’s birth name, i͗Ꜥms sꜢ nt (Ahmose, son (of) Neith); the right, a similar cartouche containing his throne name, ẖnm-i͗b-RꜤ (He who embraces the heart of Re); the centre inscription reads, ḥpw Ꜥnḫ sꜢ ḥpt(?) (the living Apis, son [of] Hepet?) two with a cartouche for Amasis, text to the centre. 4.96 grams, 26 mm



Ex private collection, Germany. with Galerie Günter Puhze, Freiburg, Germany, prior to 2003. Private collection, acquired on the German art market, 2004. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13186-249203.

The three-column text arrangement closely resembles that of another rectangular spacer bead, engraved with Ahmose II’s cartouches flanking a central inscription, now held at The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (accession number 42.377). Although the central inscription differs in content, the bead’s connection to the Apis bull is shown on the opposite side, where the sacred animal is depicted. Amasis II (Egyptian: Ahmose II), fifth king of the 26th Dynasty (Saite Period), reigned c. 570–526 BC. Rising to power after overthrowing Apries, Amasis presided over a period of renewed stability and prosperity in Late Period Egypt. His reign is characterised by administrative reform, economic growth, and an active foreign policy, including close diplomatic and commercial relations with the Greek world, evidenced by Greek mercenaries in Egyptian service and the granting of Naukratis as a trading enclave. Amasis undertook extensive temple building and restoration programmes throughout Egypt, particularly at Sais, Memphis, and in Upper Egypt, consciously aligning himself with earlier pharaonic traditions. His royal titulary appears widely on monuments, scarabs, amulets, and architectural elements, often reflecting an emphasis on divine legitimacy and Maʿat. Amasis died shortly before the Persian conquest of Egypt under Cambyses II; his reign represents the final florescence of independent Egyptian kingship before Achaemenid rule.

Modelled in the round, formed as the goddess standing before a high-backed throne, cradling the head of a standing naked child to her chest; the goddess with tiered double-crown and tripartite wig; throne with low-relief figure of the lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet to the rear with spread wings forming the arms of the chair. 22.6 grams, 60 mm



Jean Phillip Mariaud De Serres, Paris, France, 1992. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13274-254069.

Mut was a prominent mother goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, associated with creation, motherhood, and the sky. She was the consort of the god Amun and the mother of Khonsu, forming the Theban triad with them in Thebes. Mut's name ("mother" in ancient Egyptian) reflects her role as a divine mother and patroness of motherhood. Sekhmet was revered as a powerful and fierce protector. Her presence was believed to ward off evil and safeguard the people from harm. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was also a manifestation of Hathor, another powerful birth goddess.