Egyptian faience figurine of Sekhmet
Price: on request
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Object number
AR3441
| Object: |
Egyptian faience figurine of Sekhmet
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| Material: |
Nice mintgreen faience.
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| Period: |
Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt, 21st to 25th dynasty, 1075 BC to 652 BC. |
| Description: |
Egyptian statuette of the goddess Sekhmet. She is depicted with a human body and a lion's head with threepartite wig. The goddess is standing erect with the left leg thriding forward. Her arms are hanging straight down close to the body, with the left holding a plastic healed Eye of Horus (Udjat) in front of the stomach. On her head Mut wears the Uraeus. Behind it is a loop to wear the figure as an amulet. On the back is a pillar on which the statuette stands and which bears a hieroglyphic inscription. This is the traditional dedication "Words spoken by Sekhmet".
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| Background: |
Sekhmet (also Sachmis), the Mighty, was also referred to as the "Lady of Trembling". She was the goddess of war, but could as well be called upon for protection and healing from illnesses. In the usual depiction, a lion's head sits on the human body. A sun disk above the head was sometimes added as a clear attribute, because she is the daughter of the sun god Ra. In Egyptian mythology, she destroyed the enemies of her father Ra and this was also expected of her in relation to the enemies of the Pharaoh. The function of the Sekhmet amulets can probably be seen as appeasing this bloodthirsty goddess, so this piece was a personal protective amulet.
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| Dimensions: |
70mm height.
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| Condition: |
Perfectly preserved, including fine details on the surface, the hieroglyphic inscription, as well as the headgear and the eyelet on the back. Worthy of being displayed in a museum. The statuette can stand on its own. A modern wooden base is also included, with a recess to accommodate the base of the figure.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 from T. Schloessner, Germany. Previously in the German Steinbock family collection, built between 1920 and 1982 by the art historian R. Steinbock, mostly acquired on the German art market.
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| References: |
Cf. C. Andrews, Amulets of ancient Egypt, p. 34, no. 30c. Cf. Princeton University Art Museum, object no. y410. Cf. Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst München, Room 6, acc. no. ÄS 1010. Cf. Museo Civico Archeologico Bologna, acc. no. MCA-EGI-EG_0868. |
| Literature: |
C. Andrews, Amulets of ancient Egypt, pp. 14f.
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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