Large Egyptian Painted Bowl Fragments

Mummiform figure wearing a short lappet wig, with a black-painted broad collar, arms crossed over the chest, holding black-painted agricultural implements; eight columns of black hieroglyphic text surround the figure's lower half, the front central column reading: 'The illuminated one, the Osiris, Kay...'. 297 grams total, 15.5 cm including stand



Acquired privately at Cumberland Coin Fair, Marble Arch, circa 1980, for £75.00. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13492-262899.

Depicting a husband and wife seated side-by-side on chairs, each with an arm around the spouse's waist as a sign of intimacy; both wearing richly pleated robes, the man sporting a duplex wig and earrings, the woman with a longer wig with tassel ends, both composed of long rows of tight curls; the back slab with low-relief depictions of a standing man and woman facing each other, with traces of a hieroglyphic inscription; the surface slightly worn and abraded in places; reassembled from two parts. 3.89 kg, 24.5 cm



From the estate of the artist Margo Veillon (1907-2003), Lausanne, Switzerland.

The statuette is delicately sculpted and of high quality. The fine facial features of the official, the individual strands of the wigs and the pleats of the robes exhibit exquisite craftsmanship. Remarkably, the reverse of the sculpture is decorated with a fragmentarily preserved scene, most likely of the couple, with traces of inscription.

Figurine of Isis nursing Horus, seated with a sun disc and a horned headdress; dorsal pillar with hieroglyphic text; suspension hole pierced through the back of the headdress; on a display stand with the legend 'Isis and Horus XXVI Dynasty'. 36.12 grams total, 80 mm including stand



Acquired Herne Bay High Street, circa June 1957, for £1.00. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. Accompanied by an old handwritten information card by Peter Clayton, collection no.3.

Isis, one of the principal goddesses of the Egyptian pantheon, was revered as the divine mother, protector of kingship, and mistress of magic. As Osiris's wife and Horus's mother, she embodied maternal care, resurrection, and cosmic order, playing a central role in mythological narratives of death and renewal. Isis lactans statuettes, in particular, emphasise intimate maternal interaction, embodying the protective and regenerative aspects of the Isis-Horus myth. Such bronzes were widely dedicated in temple contexts and domestic shrines, where they served as votive objects invoking divine protection, healing, and royal legitimacy.