Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0025
Romano-Egyptian Terracotta Figure of Baubo
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
6 1/4 in. (375 grams, 15.8 cm).
The squatting figure depicted nude, a garland upon her propoloma and thick braids falling on her shoulders, her legs bent and spread wide, her right hand touching her genitals and the left hand raised holding a lotus flower.
Provenance
with Superior Galleries, Los Angeles, USA.
Ex Dr W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, USA, March 1985.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Published
Exhibited in the Robert & Frances Fullerton Museum or Art (RAFFMA), California State University from 1998-2023 (Reference No. EL01.098.1998)
Literature
Cf. Nagwa Abdelnaby, A.I., ‘Two unpublished Figurines of Women Purifying themselves in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria’ in Bulletin of the Center Payrological, 38 (1), November 2021, pp.645-664, figs.3, lett. A and D.
Footnotes
Baubo was a minor divinity of the Greek mythology, linked to the cult of Demeter and Persephone. The statuette belongs to the second type of Baubo figurines, widespread in the last Ptolemaic and Roman period in Egypt. The Egyptian Baubo figures are split into two groups, and this one belongs to the first group depicting a woman seating frontally whilst holding a musical instrument. In some of these figurines her right hand is touching her genitalia. Many of them were used as amulets or as ex-voto.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0025
Romano-Egyptian Terracotta Figure of Baubo
Estimate £700 - 900€810 - 1,040 (for guidance only)$950 - 1,220 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Mainly annular beads in various shades. 14.6 grams, 90 cm
From an old English deceased estate. Acquired on the Yorkshire art market in the early 1990s. Property of a London, UK, collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Egyptian Faience Shabti for Nes-Khonsu
Third Intermediate Period, 21st-22nd Dynasty, circa 1085-713 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
A pale blue-green faience mummiform shabti, with arms crossed and holding a hoe in each hand, wearing a tripartite wig with a headband with ties hanging down at the back; a seed bag suspended below the wig; the outline of the eyes, eyebrows, hoes, and seed bag painted black; a central column of hieroglyphs on the front reading: wsı͗r šmꜤyt n ı͗mn ns-ḫns.w ‘The Osiris, chantress of Amun, Nes-Khonsu.’ 166 grams, 12.2 cm
Ex German private collection. Acquired from Galerie BB-Antiken & Asiatika with stock reference no.366/08. From the private collection of a Belgian collector. Ex TimesAncient, Bristol, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the Galerie BB-Antiken & Asiatika certificate dated 1 December 2008. Accompanied by a copy of a previous catalogue entry. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Nes-Khnosu (and the variant Nesy-Khonsu) were common names during the Third Intermediate Period. However, the combination of the name and title in the dedication on this shabti is less common. It is possible that this shabti comes from tomb 339 at Deir el-Medineh in Western Thebes. The tomb was discovered by Bernard Bruyère in 1929 (Rapports préliminaires Deir el Médineh, Cairo, 1930, p. 89, 92), from where blue faience shabtis bearing the same dedication were recovered. Traditionally, chantresses were female performers who acted as dancers and rhythmic musicians. Like Nes-Khnosu, many were associated with temples and played significant roles in religious festivals. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Mainly annular beads in various shades with tubular beads to one section. 12.6 grams, 104 cm
From an old English deceased estate. Acquired on the Yorkshire art market in the early 1990s. Property of a London, UK, collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
