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LOT 0043
Large Phoenicio-Egyptian Faience Amulet of a Feline Head
LATE 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 3/4 in. (31.9 grams, 46 mm).
Modelled in the half-round with fine detailing and a ribbed suspension loop.
ProvenanceEx collection of a Surrey lady, circa 1940s.
LiteratureCf. Schweitzer, A., Traunecker, C., Strasbourg Musée archéologique. Antiquités égyptiennes de la collection G. Schlumberger, Paris, 1998, pp. 75-76, nos. 153-154, for two comparable faience amulets.
FootnotesIt is unclear which deity the head represents, though either Sekhmet or Bastet is likely.
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:
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LOT 0043
Large Phoenicio-Egyptian Faience Amulet of a Feline Head
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Faience Amulet of Nefertum
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
In a striding pose with arms at the sides, sporting a black coloured tripartite wig surmounted by the god's distinctive headdress consisting of a lotus flower with two plumes on top; mounted on a display stand. 10.66 grams total, 50 mm including stand
Ex H Norri collection, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, UK, 1980s-1990s. -
Egyptian Alabaster Vessel
2nd-1st millennium B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £286
With a cylindrical body with a tapering, slightly concave profile, a flat base and rim. 271 grams, 77 mm wide
From a West Country, UK, collection, 1980-2020s. -
Egyptian Faience Bastet Cat Amulet Collection
New Kingdom, 1550-1070 B.C. and laterEstimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Pale yellow, turquoise, and blue faience seated cat figures, each shown on a base plinth and with a suspension loop behind the head. 83 grams total, 47-52 mm including stands
Collection of a Lady, circa 1940. From a specialist collection.
In ancient Egypt, the cat was revered as the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, whose main cult centre was Bubastis in the Nile Delta. Although cats were once part of folk customs, their formal worship expanded across Egypt during the Late Period. Bastet was closely connected to lion-headed goddesses such as Sekhmet, Tefnut, and Pakhet, and the cat itself became linked to solar imagery: the Book of the Dead depicts the sun god as a Great Cat defeating Apophis beneath the sacred Ished Tree. The cat could also represent the Eye of the Sun or, more commonly in Bastet’s case, the Eye of the Moon. Mummified cats were often offered as votive offerings, and some were decorated with finely crafted bronze heads to emphasise their divine likeness.
