A nice terracotta head of Bes, fragmentary and corroded, but substantial and with fine classic features, Egyptian, Late-Roman Period, 500-100 AD. Comes attached to the original German gift letter from the 1920s-1930s.

Size: 70 x 55 mm.

Ex. Old German Private Collection.

Rare terracotta group with a rat and two mice seen side by side gnawing on the bait of a mousetrap.
According to Pedrizet perhaps an ex-voto offered by a person whose house or granary was infested with mice and rats.
Published as item no. 417, p. 151, pl. 120 (center right) in: Paul Perdrizet. Les terres cuites grecques d’Égypte de la collection Fouquet. Paris 1921. (copy of the publication record joined)
For a rat trap, cf...

Terracotta figure of Harpokrates with the attributes of Herakles, lion skin and knobby club, in the crook of his left arm.
Harpokrates is depicted with the sidelock of a child. The head is expertly modeled with wide, heavy-lidded eyes, a broad nose, and fleshy lips.
Harpokrates wears the Egyptian headdress with stripes and the threefold Atef-crown.
The youthful god is shown nude with the right forefinger close to the lips...

Pre-Dynastic, Naqada II (3600-3200 BC), indurated limestone hippo, depicted in abstract form. 3 1/4 inches wide. Mounted. Said to be Ex, D.A, private Brussels collection, 1980.

An ancient Egyptian alabaster torso of a striding man. Wearing a kilt and with arms depicted on each side. 5.5 inches high. Late Period, 600-30 B.C. Purchased on the Paris art market. Said to be originally purchased a long time ago at the Paris flea market.

Human-headed Ba-bird with tripartite wig and false beard, the head surmounted by a disk.
The wings lean close to the body, the feet show powerful claws. The back is flat.
Superb made with much use of the modeling tool.
The Egyptian idea of the Ba conceives a free-soul (Freiseele, Exkursionsseele) capable of independent existence from the body. It thus leaves and reunites with the body at will...

Terracotta figure of a seated baboon, animal sacred to Thot, the Egyptian god of writing and other intellectual pursuits.
Crisp facial features with pronounced supra-orbital ridges, deep set eyes and a dominant, protruding muzzle. The cheek fur and the upper body cape are typical for male baboons...

Votive figure of a naked woman, standing with her arms to the thighs. The head shows schematic features and a casket like wig. Schematic rendering of the body, crudely carved in the round.
Enhanced with red and black painted decoration. Red for the necklaze, the upper arm bracelets and the (decorative lines) around the shins. Remains of black on the hair and the pelvic triangle.
Freestanding figures are comparatively rare...

A very interesting and rare Egyptian bronze bust with a Pharao raising left arm holding something, c. 2nd.-1st. mill. BC.

Size: 11,6 cm. tall incl. the costum wooden base, c. 6,4 cm. alone.

Condition: Fragmentary as seen in the pictures.

Ex. Private Estate Collection.

Ancient Egyptian alabaster fragment, depicting a male head wearing a large, striated wig, with remains of facial details. Appears to have a hand holding the head, from the back of the head. 3 inches wide X 2 1/4 high. Middle Kingdom, early 12th Dynasty, period of Amenemhat I/Sesostris I, 1938-1875 B.C. Mounted. From an old NYC private collection. Said to be from an old British private collection, purchased on the London art market @ 3 years ago...

Egyptian terracotta fragment of Harpocrates riding a horse, whose mane can be guessed on the right.
The youthful god is dressed in a short tunic and wears a stippled floral wreath topped by the Egyptian double crown. Harpokrates is shown with the right forefinger to his mouth.
Harpokrates was the infant son of Isis and Horus and symbolized both youth and fertility...

Large head of Serapis shown with a fulsome beard and fringed hairdo over the forehead. On the crown a closed modius decorated with an olive branch.
The face with a small nose and flat eye cavities with thin eyelids. The mouth enclosed by a stringy moustache.
Modeled in the round. Two-piece mold with cursory back side. Remains of the original gesso layer in the cavities. Nice Hellenistic style.
Large-sized heads of Serapis are relatively rare...

Serpentine Horus falcon, with defined wings, beak and tail feathers. Late Period, 600-30 B.C. 1 1/4 inches high X 1 1/8 inches long. Intact. From an old French collection.

Terracotta head of Harpocrates wearing the double crown of Egypt flanked by lotus buds.
The expertly modeled face shows almond-shaped eyes with sharply defined eyelids, a broad nose, and fleshy lips. The head is bald except for small tufts of hair and the side lock of a child.
Harpokrates, the infant son of Isis and Horus, symbolized both youth and fertility. Harpokrates was revered as the patron deity of childhood.
For a close parallel, cf. item no. 29 in: Eva Bayer-Niemei...

Terracotta fragment of Harpokrates wearing a large stippled wreath topped by the Egyptian double crown.
The hair is arranged in tight curls and frames the face, which has large eyes with sharply defined eyelids, a broad nose and fleshy lips. The right index finger points to his mouth.
The youthful god is dressed in a long tunic, belted at the waist.
Harpokrates, the infant son of Isis and Horus, symbolized both youth and fertility. Harpokrates was revered as the patron deity...

Terracotta grotesque head with typical pejorative traits of a slave.. The bearded man shows a high, furrowed brow, bulged eyebrows, and a thick, hooked nose. The thick lower lip is contoured by a moustache.
For a comparable example, cf. item no. 489 in: Eva Bayer-Niemeier. Bildwerke der Sammlung Kaufmann. Band I. Griechisch-römische Terrakotten. Melsungen 1988.
Much use of the modelling stick. Moldmade of two halves, only the front surviving. Traces of a very thin white coating or...

Terracotta head of a slave or peasant with coarse and asymmetrical features.
The man shows a wide face, short chin, and small ears set at the level of the temples. The almond-shaped eyes are raised, one of them with slight outline of the eyelids. The knobby nose is very close to the full lips underneath.
The bald head is covered by a cloth cap.
The head belongs to a figure that is clad in a cape and holds a fluted staff decorated with a rosette.
For a figure from th...

Terracotta female head of an Orans or Baubo figure. The broad nose is abraded and flat. The swung lips contrast with the white coat that used to be overpainted. The eyes are almost completely covered by the white pigment. The woman shows a broad forehead, curly hairdo and a stippled wreath over her head. The earlobes pierced to wear earrings.
Moldmade of two halves. Abrasion to the high points, and remains of the white coat in the cavities. Terracotta
Egyptian, Roman Period, 250-3...