Lot 1769
Lion (Goddess) - A Splendid Amulet in Faience. Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, c. 1090-675 BC. The goddess sits on a throne with open work sides showing Nehebka and a uraeus. She has the full-maned head of a male lion, and the slim body of a woman, and is clad in a form-fitting dress, and a lappet wig. In one hand she holds a sistrum. A large amulet -- it is intact and perfect, with green to slightly blue-green glaze, heightened with splashes of black. Height: 2-7/16". A choice example of this sought after amulet type.
Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,500.
Carol Andrews notes in her Amulets of Ancient Egypt, that this type can represent any number of goddesses and so is difficult to attach any particular name to them. However, the presence of the sistrum links it to older representations of Bastet, the cat goddess. Yet still, "…. identical figures are identified as Sekhmet, the fierce goddess of the Memphite area, who symbolized the burning heat of the sun and, as the sun-god's vengeful eye, destroyed his enemies and brought plague and pestilence."Andrews illustrates two closely similar examples in figure 30, a & d.
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| Realized $2,875 |
