Phoenician Limestone Funerary Mask

Seated figure of a cat with pointed ears mounted on a rectangular base with a rounded end; suspension loop on the back. 1.55 grams, 12 mm



Ex London, UK, gentleman's collection, 1990s.

The goddess Bastet was believed to be the daughter of the sun god and was shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 B.C. when she was first portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. As the daughter of Ra she was associated with the rage inherent in the sun god's eye which was considered to be his instrument of vengeance. Her development into a cat goddess occurred during the New Kingdom but did not fully develop until the Late Period. She was still associated with the destructive power of the sun and was shown on the prow of the solar boat, decapitating the evil serpent Apophis in the Book of the Dead. The maternal, protective and hunting characteristics of the cat are obvious in Bastet and she was seen as a protector of pregnant women and young children. In the Pyramid Texts she is invoked by the deceased king to act as his protector and to help him reach the sky to join the sun god; the king proclaims that Bastet is his mother and nurse. Like her counterpart, Sekhmet, Bastet has an aggressive side and, in a text from Karnak, Amenhotep II described his enemies being slaughtered like the victims of Bastet. The goddess had a shrine at Karnak, where she is known as the 'Lady of Asheru' which aligns her closely with the goddess Mut, the consort of Amun-Ra. Her most famous shrine was in the north-east Delta region, at Bubastis, and was known as Per-Bastet or 'the House of Bastet.' Herodotus describes the festival of Bastet as one of the most elaborate in all of Egypt and identifies her with the Greek Artemis. Cemeteries of cats have been excavated at Bubastis and at Saqqara and Memphis.

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.

Modelled enthroned, wearing a cow's horn headdress with a solar disc; suckling the infant Horus seated transversely on her lap; Horus modelled with a side-lock of youth; mounted on a custom-made wooden stand. 405 grams total, 17.5 cm including stand



Property of a deceased gentleman's collection, 1980s. Ex John Nicholson Auction, Haslemere, Surrey, UK.