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Expert's note
The use of silver distinguishes the present figure from the far more numerous representations of Taweret (also called Thoeris) in faience and stone. Particularly noteworthy is the exceptionally detailed rendering despite its diminutive scale, from the deeply incised wig and crocodile tail to the elaborate horned and feathered crown. The suspension loop behind the crown indicates that the statuette was intended to be carried or suspended as an amulet, allowing the goddess' protective power to remain physically close to its owner.
Egypt, 664-332 BC. Finely cast in silver, the goddess standing upright on an integral base in a dynamic pose, one leg advanced as if in forward motion. Her arms hang lowered alongside the elongated torso and distended abdomen, with two pendulous breasts above. The well-defined hippopotamus head is characterized by large circular eyes and a prominent rounded muzzle, framed by a finely striated wig falling over the shoulders. A long crocodile tail descends along the back. The head is surmounted by an elaborate crown with the sun disk between curving horns before tall double feathers, finely incised with diagonal striations. A suspension loop is attached to the reverse of the crown.
Provenance: The private collection of Jacques Hollander, Belgium, and thence by descent. Jacques Hollander (1940-2004) was a Belgian businessman and noted collector of antiquities and historic works of art. He began collecting at the age of seventeen in Brussels and, together with his wife Galila Barzilai-Hollander, assembled an exceptionally eclectic collection spanning antiquities, European and non-European sculpture, paintings, works in ivory, rock crystal, porcelain, and numerous objets de curiosité. As the collection expanded, the couple built a neoclassical rotunda adjoining their Brussels home in the early 1980s to house it as a private cabinet of curiosities. Following Hollander's death in 2004, the collection remained largely intact until Christie’s Paris offered approximately 500 lots from it in 2013, realizing EUR 5.26 million.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear and minor casting irregularities, slight warping, and a small loss to the headdress. The surface with dark tarnishing, areas of oxidation, and localized encrustations.
Weight: 8 g (excl. stand), 58 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 3.8 cm (excl. stand), 7.7 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated metal stand. (2)
Taweret and other closely related goddesses emerged from the blending of leonine, hippopotamus, crocodilian, and human attributes. These animals were among the most formidable species known in ancient Egypt, and the combination of their strengths was believed to produce a particularly potent deity and protective amulet.
Taweret had primary responsibility for protection for women during pregnancy and childbirth. She is frequently portrayed standing upright and leaning on a ‘sa’ sign, a hieroglyphic motif from ancient Egypt that denoted protection and magical safety. Her representation also appeared on tomb walls and funerary equipment, where it served an apotropaic function, safeguarding the deceased during the process of rebirth.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related silver standing figure of the god Nefertum, Late Period, Dynasty 26-29, 664-332 BC, 8.2 cm high, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object number 26.7.853. Compare a related copper-alloy figure of Taweret, Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 7.3 cm high, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object number 58.76.2.
Auction comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 9 December 2005, sale 1691, lot 38
Price: USD 10,200 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian silver amulet of Satet, Ptolemaic Period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related solid-cast silver medium, standing female deity, integral plinth, and suspension loop. Note the different goddess, size (6.7 cm high), and later dating.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 11 December 2003, lot 340
Price: USD 5,377 or approx. EUR 8,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian silver amulet of Amun, Late Period, Dynasty 26-30
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, silver medium, amuletic function, integral plinth, suspension loop, and similar small scale. Note the different deity and slightly larger size (6 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 6 December 2001, lot 263
Price: USD 4,465 or approx. EUR 7,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian silver figure of Taweret, Late Period, Dynasty 26-30
Expert remark: Compare the closely related silver medium, identical deity, dating, striding pose, integral plinth, suspension loop, and similar small scale. Note the slightly larger size (5.7 cm).
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