57 - AN EGYPTIAN GREEN FAIENCE AMULET OF A BABOON, PTOLEMAIC PERIOD

AN EGYPTIAN GREEN FAIENCE AMULET OF A BABOON, PTOLEMAIC PERIOD Egypt, 4th-3rd century BC. Finely modeled, depicted seated on its haunches upon a small plinth, the long tail curving to the right and the forepaws resting on the knees, with the genitalia exposed. The body and head of the animal are covered by a mantle of fur rendered with a finely incised crosshatched pattern. The simian face marked by deep-set eyes and a prominent muzzle. The back of the animal fitted with a small loop for suspension. Art Loss Register: ALR reference S00014342. A copy accompanies the lot. Provenance: The private collection of L. L., Belgium. Rupert Wace Ancient Art Limited, London, by 2011. A private collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Copies of the invoice from Rupert Wace, dated 17 March 2011, confirming the attribution and dating above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of EUR 2,500 or approx. EUR 3,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), and a certificate from Rupert Wace with a lengthy description including several references, further confirming the dating above, accompany the lot. Rupert Wace (b. 1955) has been a leading figure in the world of Antiquities for over forty years. A collector at heart and sometime dealer by profession, Wace's expertise ranges from ancient Egypt and the Classical world to the Near East. His clients include international collectors and many of the world's leading museums, including the British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among others. He is a longstanding member of The Antiquities Dealer's Association (ADA) and currently sits on the board of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA). Condition: Good condition with expected wear, firing irregularities, including slight warping, signs of prolonged burial, encrustations, and minor nibbling. Weight: 9.4 g (excl. stand), 17.2 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 3.5 cm (excl. stand), 4.6 cm (incl. stand) With an associated wood stand. (2) Baboons were closely related to Toth, the god of wisdom, but also depicted as animals welcoming the sun god in the morning and in the evening. Their cries at daybreak were interpreted as greetings to the rising sun, suggesting foreknowledge of its return, while Egyptian art frequently shows them raising their arms in solar adoration. Alongside these solar associations, the baboon was revered as a manifestation of lunar divinity, linked to Khonsu of Thebes and Thoth of Hermopolis in Middle Egypt. Thoth, Lord of Time, inventor of writing, and patron of scribes, was also represented as an ibis or ibis-headed figure. His responsibilities for reckoning time and maintaining the calendar were closely connected with his lunar character. His baboon manifestation may have developed through assimilation with an earlier deity known as ‘the Great White One’, whose lunar identity became absorbed into Thoth’s own. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related faience amulet of a baboon, dated to the 4th-1st century BC, 1.5 cm high, in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 48.1551. Compare a related, slightly earlier faience amulet of a squatting baboon, dated to the Late Period, 3.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 17.194.2438. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s London, 29 October 2003, lot 375 Price: GBP 4,465 or approx. EUR 9,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian turquoise faience baboon, Late Period, circa 6th-3rd century BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and size (3.8 cm).