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LOT 0032
'The Clayton' Large Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Statue of the Goddess Bastet
LATE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 664-525 B.C.
6 1/4 in. (7 3/4 in.) (932 grams, 16 cm (1.99 kg total, 19.5 cm high including stand)).
Naturalistically modelled in the round, hollow-formed in a seated pose with an incuse collar and Hathor-symbol pendant on its chest, both ears pierced to accept gold earrings (one absent); with a custom-made stand adapted to accommodate the sizeable tang on the statue's underside. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired by Norman Davis from Spinks in 1956.
Received as a gift from an American friend, Norman Davis of Seattle, circa 1972.
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13471-262917.
Cf. Roeder, G., Ägyptische Bronzefiguren II, Berlin, 1956, pl. 51b, for a similar bronze cat statuette.
FootnotesIn ancient times, the cat was revered as the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, whose principal cult centre was at Bubastis in the Nile Delta. Her cult expanded throughout Egypt during the Late Period, when many votive bronze statuettes were produced. To the Egyptians, the cat symbolised protection, motherhood, and, later, gentleness and domesticity, qualities associated with Bastet, especially as she evolved from a fierce lioness into a more benevolent feline goddess. The symbol on the chest of the present statuette is associated with another protective goddess, Hathor. Standing figurines of Bastet are sometimes shown holding a Hathoric sistrum, a ritual musical instrument linked to joy, music, and divine protection, particularly for mothers and children. The symbol on this bronze statuette would have served the same purpose.
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LOT 0032
'The Clayton' Large Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Statue of the Goddess Bastet
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000€23,200 - 34,800 (for guidance only)$27,000 - 40,500 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£10,000 (EUR 11,600; USD 13,500) +BP*
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Large Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Triad Amulet
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Depicting the youthful Horus with a long, curling sidelock, flanked by the goddess Nephthys on the left and Isis on the right, standing on an integral plinth against a flat back slab with a suspension loop above; Isis wearing a stepped throne headdress, and Nephthys and Isis wearing headdresses comprising the hieroglyphs spelling their names, the trio clasping hands demonstrating the women's protection and guardianship. 19.7 grams, 52 mm
Ex mid-20th-century collection. Ex London, UK, collection. From a Cambridgeshire, UK, dealership. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information page.
Nephthys and Isis were sisters, while Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris, making Nephthys his aunt and the secondary maternal figure in this triad. -
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Egyptian Blue Glazed Faience Shabti of the Osiris Pedi-Khonsu
Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, circa 980-935 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Mummiform type wearing a lappet wig, with arms crossed and hands holding hoes, black-painted detailing on the face, lappet ends, sash tie encircling the wig, seed bag across the back, and a column of hieroglyphic text on the lower body; mounted on a display stand, repaired. 183 grams total, 12.9 cm including stand
Ex E.B.W.Chappelors collection, July 1958. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. Accompanied by an old handwritten information card by Peter Clayton, collection no.41.
The writing of Khonsu on this shabti is reversed from the usual spelling and matches another example in the Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel, Switzerland, for the same individual (Schlögl, H.A., and Brodbeck, A., Ägyptische Totenfiguren aus öffentlichen und privaten Sammlungen der Schweiz, Göttingen, 1990, p. 213, no. 135). -
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Egyptian Bronze Statuette of Harpocrates
3rd century B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,100
Votive statuette with youthful locks and a uraeus on his forehead; wearing the heart amulet around his neck; depicted nude, holding his finger to his mouth, a gesture identifying him as a child god; feet resting on a plinth. 281 grams, 10.7 cm high
Ex Tschudi Carlin, circa 1920. with Cahn Auktionen AG, Basel, Young Collectors Auction, 2015, no.147. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13472-263066.
Harpocrates is the Greek equivalent of the Egyptian name Hor-pa-khered, which means ‘Horus the Child’. This name refers to Horus as the divine infant of Isis and Osiris. Wearing an amulet of Harpocrates was believed to provide the same protection that Isis granted to her beloved son. Larger bronze statuettes were probably votive offerings to Harpocrates, intended to secure his favour and protection.
