Phoenician Bronze Scarab Pendant

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.

Turquoise-glazed with black pupil and brow ridge; pierced longitudinally. 3.38 grams, 32 mm



Ex early 20th century collection, London, UK.

The wedjat-eye amulet (also called the Eye of Horus) became one of the most recognisable symbols in ancient Egyptian culture. It signifies protection, healing, and restoration. In myth, Horus lost his eye during his battle with Seth, and it was later magically restored, symbolising healing and the return to wholeness. The Eye of Horus came to embody divine power and protection, and was often used in amulets to safeguard and promote well-being.

Comprising a large standing Bes statuette on a rectangular base and a smaller Bes pierced for suspension; four scarabs with detailing to the upper face and incised signs and motifs on the underside; a tear-shaped bunch of grapes with a broken suspension loop; a lozenge-shaped pierced for suspension. 11 grams total, 9-38 mm



From the Walter Thomas Gaze Cooper (1895-1980) collection; thence by descent.