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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 Lapis Lazuli Lotus Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With ribbed suspension loop bell-shaped plaque; collector's sticker to reverse. 1.77 grams, 17 mm
Ex UK collection, 1970s.
The lotus served as a symbol of both divine beauty and the sun's rejuvenating power. -
Egyptian Alabaster Baboon with Dedication to Queen Tiye
New Kingdom, 1184-1152 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Carved alabaster figure of a baboon, crouching with his forepaws resting on his knees, tail curled around from the rear; cartouche dedicated to Queen Tiye at the chest as a later addition. 1.06 kg, 15.4 cm
From the private collection of Dr Athanasios Ghertsos, Zurich, by at least 1970. Private collection of Hermann A. Schlögl (1932-2023), Basel. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00261724. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13073-248325.
In ancient Egypt, baboons were sacred, representing wisdom, the moon, and the underworld, linked to gods like Thoth and Babi, often depicted greeting the sun or guarding tombs, and were imported, mummified as offerings, and used as powerful religious symbols despite their often harsh captive conditions. The aforementioned Tiye is the wife of Sethnakht, the founder of the 20th Dynasty, and not to be confused with the wife of Amenhotep III. All monuments bearing her name originate from Abydos, where her son Ramesses III built a temple for his parents. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Mask with Scarab and Four Sons of Horus
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
A restrung netted beadwork panel of annular and tubular glazed composition beads in blues, greens, black, cream and red-brown colours, depicting a mummy face mask with false beard, a scarab with extended wings below, the 'Four Sons of Horus’ beneath the scarab, joined together with areas of open netting of tubular beads. 100 grams, 24 cm
Ex North London, UK, gallery. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
The Four Sons of Horus were deities responsible for protecting the deceased's internal organs. The human-headed Imsety protected the liver, the baboon-headed Hapy protected the lungs, the jackal-headed Duamutef protected the stomach, and the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef protected the intestines.
