Superb Egyptian Faience Sekhmet Amulet w/ Art Loss Cert

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A superb example of a mold-formed amulet of a sizable form depicting Sekhmet, the lioness-headed goddess of the sun, destruction, war, and healing. Sekhmet is seated upon a narrow throne with an openwork base presenting abstract serpentine motifs indicative of the snake-headed god Nehebkau, and an ankh is shown on the verso. She sits with a rigid posture, wears a form-fitting, ankle-length gown, and holds a rattle-like instrument known as a sistrum in both hands. Her feline face presents with recessed eyes beneath furrowed brows, a tapered snout, a short mane with thin incisions suggesting of hair, and a pair of petite ears, all in front of a tripartite wig as well as a cylindrical suspension loop. A narrow mortise atop her head indicates that this amulet had a separate sun disk ornament at one time. Lustrous turquoise-hued glaze covers the entire figure, and additional black pigment emphasizes the sistrum and serpentine motifs. Size: 0.6" W x 2.6" H (1.5 cm x 6.6 cm); 3.8" H (9.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Sekhmet (also Sakhmet), among the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, is typically depicted as a lion-headed woman and sometimes wearing a sun disc on her head. When shown sitting, she usually holds an ankh of life or an instrument known as a sistrum, as we see in this example; when standing, she wields a sceptre formed from papyrus, the symbol of Lower Egypt, the area with which she is most often associated. Her name comes from the Egyptian word "Sekhem" which translates to "power" or "might" - indeed Sekhmet is sometimes translated as "Powerful One" or "She who is Powerful." Sekhmet is also mentioned in several spells of The Book of the Dead, discussed as both a creative and a destructive force, but above all, the guardian of Ma'at (balance or justice) who defies evil.

For a stylistically similar example from the Third Intermediate Period, please see: Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 18, fig. 14.

This item is accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate, reference number S00098626.

Provenance: private Connecticut, USA collection; ex-private Pennsylvania, USA collection; ex-private European collection, Brussels, Belgium, acquired in the early 1970s; accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate, reference no. S00098626

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#149802
Condition Report: Minor abrasions to throne and figure, with softening to some finer details, and light fading to original glaze pigmentation, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits and great traces of original glaze pigment throughout.