Romano-Egyptian Haematite Scarab with Gnostic Figure

Standing erect with dorsal pillar and rectangular base, arms straight and one leg advancing; lion-head wearing atef crown and a uraeus; mounted on a custom-made stand. 50.8 grams total, 84 mm including stand



Ex early 20th century London, UK, collection.

Mahes was an Egyptian lion-headed deity linked to divine protection, royal authority, and retributive justice. Considered a son of the goddess Bastet—or, in some traditions, Sekhmet—he embodied the fierce, solar power of the sun god Re and served as a fierce protector of cosmic order. Mahes was especially venerated in the Delta region, notably at Leontopolis, where his leonine form highlighted his role as a guardian and destroyer of enemies. Iconographically, he is commonly depicted as a lion or, as here, a man with a lion’s head, wearing an atef- crown.

With median baluster and flange to each end. 4.80 grams, 50 mm



Ex French collection, early 20th century.

This bead likely represents a hes vase, an important ritual vessel used for libations to both the living and the dead.

Modelled in the round on a rectangular base and with a dorsal pillar pierced at the shoulder, the goddess is depicted in hippopotamus form with human arms. 10.3 grams, 52 mm



Private collection, Carouge, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s-1990s. Thence by descent to the collection of Mr S.P., since 2020.