Canopic jar representing Hapy, Egypt, Late Period, XXVIth - XXXIst Dynasty, 664 - 332 B.C. Banded alabaster. Banded alabaster. Axel Vervoordt NV at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Axel Vervoordt NV - Archaeology, Oriental Art, Furniture, Objects of Art. Kanaal, Stokerijstraat 19, 2110 Wijnegem, Belgium

Console in wood, gilded, Italy, ca. 1780. Measurements: Height 91.5 cm - Width 123 cm - Depth 56 cm. Axel Vervoordt NV at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Axel Vervoordt NV - Archaeology, Oriental Art, Furniture, Objects of Art. Kanaal, Stokerijstraat 19, 2110 Wijnegem, Belgium

Vladimir Kagan (Worms 1927), Contour Side Chair. Manufactured by Kagan-Dreyfuss, United States, 1950s. Mahogany with original upholstery. Axel Vervoordt NV at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Pierre Chapo (1927 - 1987), T14 Dining Table, France, 1960's. Elm. Measurements: 74 x 250 x 85 cm. Axel Vervoordt NV at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Axel Vervoordt NV - Archaeology, Oriental Art, Furniture, Objects of Art. Kanaal, Stokerijstraat 19, 2110 Wijnegem, Belgium

Léonard Boudin, A Transition Louis XV-XVI Ormolu-Mounted Kingwood Parquetry Commode, Circa 1765, Stamped BOUDIN JME. Burzio at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Stamped BOUDIN JME, reçu maître on march 4th 1761, the rectangular brêche d'Alep marble top above two long drawers sans traverse; raised on short cabriole legs; the front and sides veneered to form chevron parquetry and fitted with ormolu handles and keyhole escutcheons. Height: 36⅓ in. (86 cm) - Width: 50,4 in. (128 cm) - Depth: 21¼ in. (54 cm)

Burzio. Antiques and Works of Art, 38 Dover Street, at R+V,  London W1S4NL, United Kingdom

Pietro Piffetti (Turin 1701 - Turin 1777), The Pietro Piffetti personal bombe commode, Italy, Turin, Circa 1760. Walnut briar, ebony, boxwood and ormolu mounts, 83 x 125 x 57 cm. Burzio at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. 

It was the third(N.3) of fourteen works of art by Piffetti in a lottery that took place in November 1779 in Turin, following his death. “N.3.Two commodes shaped as urns in walnut briar with four drawers with low profiles, in three rows resembling ribbons and ebony bands with gilt bronze mounts forming lion heads bearing rings in their mouth." 

Burzio. Antiques and Works of Art, 38 Dover Street, at R+V,  London W1S4NL, United Kingdom

A gilded brass and retro incassocoral inkwell, Sicily, Trapani, 1700 ca. Burzio at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Burzio. Antiques and Works of Art, 38 Dover Street, at R+V,  London W1S4NL, United Kingdom

Andrea Tipa, A Pink Alabaster Pieta, Trapani, XVIII century. Burzio at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Egyptian bronze of God Ptah, Third Intermediate Period – Saite Period, 1085 – 525 BC. 22 cm H. J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Hercules holding apples of Hesperides, Roman, 2nd – 3rd century AD. Bronze. Height 25.2 cm. J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Herakles is the most famous hero in Greek mythology and perhaps also in all classical antiquity. His name comes from the goddess Hera and the Greek word “kleos” (glory), meaning “the glory of Hera”. He was considered to be the son of Zeus and Alceme, a mortal queen, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus on his mother’s side. At birth he was given the name of Alcaeus or Alcides, in honour of his grandfather. This very word evokes the idea of strength. It was as an adult that he received the name with which he is known, imposed on him by Apollo through the Pythia, to indicate his condition as a follower of the goddess Hera. In ancient Rome as in Western Europe, he is better known as Hercules, and some Roman emperors, Commodus and Maximian among others, identified with his figure. 

His extraordinary strength is the most important of his attributes, but he is also known for courage, pride, a certain candor and formidable sexual prowess. He is considered to be the forebear of the kings of Sparta, and this was one of the reasons for the dissemination of his legend and cult, making Hercules the Dorian hero par excellence. There are many stories in mythology about him, the most important one is that of the Twelve Labours of Herakles. The stories in which he has the leading role form a cycle which is constant through all antiquity, and for this reason it is difficult to give a chronological, or even a coherent exposition of them.

In Greek mythology the Nemean lion was a pitiless monster which lived in Nemea, and was finally slain by Hercules. The lion is considered to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna or of Orthrus and Chimera, although it was also said to have fallen from the moon, as the offspring of Zeus and Selene. 

The lion had been terrorising those in the surroundings of Nemea. It had a skin so thick that it could not be pierced by weapons. When Hercules confronted it for the first time all his arms proved ineffective. The lion’s den had two entrances. Hercules warded it off so that the lion entered the den. Then the hero sealed one of the entrances and cornered him in the den where he strangled the beast. 

He then took the body to Mycenae so that it could be seen by King Eurystheus, who had set the tasks that Hercules had to carry out. However the king was so terrified that he forbade Hercules ever to enter the city again. In future he was to display the fruits of his labours outside the city gates.

Hercules spent hours trying to skin the lion, but without success. Finally, Athena, disguised as an old witch, aided Hercules by telling him that the best way to skin the animal’s pelt was to use one of its own claws for the job. This way, with the help of a little divine intervention, he managed to get the lion’s skin, which, from then on, he wore as a form of armour, using the head as a helmet. He is depicted in this manner in most of the sculptures of antiquity.

The apples that Hercules holds in this image relate to the eleventh labour. The Hesperides were nymphs of evening and golden light of sunset, who were the Daughters of the Evening or Nymphs of the West. They tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world, located near the Atlas mountains in North Africa at the edge of the encircling Oceanus, the world-ocean, and it is in this garden that the golden tree is located.

As well as the garden, the golden tree and the nymphs, the Titan Atlas was also here holding up the heavens. Hercules tricked him into retrieving some of the golden apples for him, by offering to hold up the heavens for a little while. Upon his return, Atlas decided that he did not want to take the heavens back, and instead offered to deliver the apples himself to king Eurystheus, but Hercules tricked him again by agreeing to take his place on condition that Atlas relieve him temporarily, so that Hercules could make his cloak more comfortable. Atlas agreed, but Hercules reneged and walked away, carrying the apples.

However, since those apples were not meant for mortals, they were given to Athena who took them back to the garden. 

Hercules was a popular god in Rome, as well, and had many temples dedicated to him. He was also a patron deity of some of the emperors who would depict themselves in the guise of the god, such as Commodus. In the city of Rome, Hercules had many epithets such as Custos, Invictus, and Triumphalis. 

Accompanied by a copy of positive metallurgic analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr. Peter Northover (ex Department of Materials, Materials Science-Based Archaeology Group & Department of Materials, University of Oxford).

Provenance: Private collection, Surrey, England. Acquired in the early 1970s.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Fibula in the form of an eagle, Roman, 1st - 2nd Century AD. Gold. Length 5 cm. J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

A beautiful gold fibula made up of the body of the brooch and decorated at the head with an eagle. The body is a simple horizontal pin. The piercing pin was on the underside of the curved end of the brooch, but this element is now missing. The union of the body with the head of the brooch is attached to a spring hinge on the back of the eagle, and this facilitates vertical movement.

The head is in reality a complete depiction of an eagle with outspread wings. It is a beautiful and faithful representation of this bird of prey, with considerable realism in the sense of movement it displays, and in the decoration of the body and the wings. These are made up of feathers of different sizes. The detailed work on the head and the talons displays the great quality of the workmanship.

In the Roman world the eagle was a prominent symbol of the Roman legions. The most important Roman military symbols were the signa militaria, the military ensigns or standards. Pliny the Elder said that it was Gaius Marius during the second consulship who established the eagle as the one and only emblem of the legions. Until that time this honour had been shared with the wolf, the boar, the horse and an ox with a man’s head. The reason for the choice of the eagle was because it resembled a legion in its qualities of force, intelligence, keenness and striking power. 

The term fibula denotes all types of metallic clasps used in antiquity to fasten or hold together some of the articles that made up a person’s clothing. It was in fact the first form of articulate brooch.

Since antiquity the world of jewellery has had a close relationship to a determined status. Both men and women enjoyed being surrounded by luxury and enjoyed the use of precious stones and metals. However, while men introduced these into their life in general, for example, in the decoration of their houses, women were the only ones to wear adornments. The only exception in the case of men was that they did wear rings. 

Roman jewellery reached heights of invention never seen before and never surpassed until the Renaissance. Imperial Rome was the world centre for jewellery and great quantities of precious stones and materials were imported for use in this field.

Initially the style of the pieces was typically Etruscan or Greek, but soon a style of its own developed in Rome. Pieces were ornate and sumptuous with mountings of precious stones, opus interrasile metalwork and mosaics of small stones set on gold and silver. Another specialty of Roman craftsmanship was the cutting of gems, the highly-esteemed engraving and sculpting, above all on cameos of agate and onyx, stones with diverse layers of colours that, once the working on the piece was finished, produced an effect of depth and polychromy. Mostly cameos were dedicated to portraiture.

Provenance: Private collection of A. Alonso, Salamanca. Formed between 1960 and 1980. 

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Attributed to the Salonika Painter 38.290, Lekanis, c. 400 BC. Pottery. Height 15.5 cm; length between handles 31 cm. J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

A red-figure pottery lekanis with an iconographic scene on the upper surface of the lid showing the preparations for a wedding. The base is decorated with black varnish with red decorative patterns. The body is circular with two handles decorated with spiral edging. The body is circled by a crown of laurel leaves and the inside of the vessel shows a black varnish of good quality. 

The slightly conical lid is decorated with a circular scene with two naked figures of Eros flying around with ribbons and baskets, gifts suitable for a wedding ceremony. Two women with baskets, mirrors and nuptial ribbons are seated between them. The scene is finished with modest floral decorations and a band of ovolo around the edge of the lid.

A knob handle protrudes from the center of the lid in the form of a disk decorated with circles and a geometric band, combining the black varnish with the reserved red zones to complete the aesthetics of the vessel as seen from above.

A Lekanis is a type of pottery from Ancient Greece in the form of a low bowl with a disc foot and two horizontal handles on the rim. It is shaped to receive a lid, forming a continuous vertical surface with the rim of the lid. It was used to hold a range of small objects, also to contain ointments and for use in personal hygiene. They were used in the complicated marriage rituals and formed part of the dowry that the father gave to the bride.

Following on from earlier geometrical styled forms, in the second half of the 6th century BC, the lekanis was formalized and became one of the frequent forms of red figure pottery. Pieces from the period of black figure pottery were usually made without lids, while red figure painted lekani are typically found with decorated lids. Over time, the lids, which were at first in a domed shape, tended to flatten out and form a right-angle with the vertical rim. The lids also acquired a top handle which, if it were sufficiently wide, could serve as a foot if the lid were inverted so that it, too, could be used as a container. In these reversible lekani the decoration was limited to animal themed friezes, as opposed to those habitually used with nuptial themes. The decorative images wound in continuous form around the vessel. 

Red-figure pottery was one of the most important figurative styles of Greek production. It developed in Greece around the year 530 BC and was used until the 3rd Century BC. It took the place of the previously dominant style of black-figure pottery within a few decades. The technical base was the same in both cases, but in the red-figure pieces the colour was reversed, so that the figures stood out against a dark background as if they were lit up by theatrical lighting, following a more natural scheme. The painters who worked with black figures were forced to keep motifs clearly separated one from the other and to limit the complexity of the illustration. In contrast, the red-figure technique allowed greater freedom. Each figure was silhouetted against a dark background allowing the painters to render anatomic details with greater exactitude and variety.

The technique consisted of painting motifs on a still moist piece, using a transparent glossy slip which, on firing, took on an intense black colouration. The motifs were therefore invisible before the firing and so painters had to work completely from memory without seeing the result of their work beforehand. Once the piece had been fired the zones not covered by the slip retained the reddish tone of the clay, while those that had been “painted” with the slip took on a dense, brilliant black colouration.

Attribution carried out by Dr. Michael Padgett, Curator of Ancient Art in the Princeton University Art Museum, USA. 

With Thermoluminescence test. 

Provenance: From the collection of the well-known Barcelona jeweller, Octavio Sardà. Acquired between 1968 and 1979. There is a certificate of authenticity for the piece dated 14 May 1979.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Ushabti of King Senkamanisken; Sudan, Napata Period, during the reign of Senkamanisken, between 643 and 623 BC. Serpentine. Height 19.5 cm. J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

This funerary statue was discovered in the pyramid of King Senkamanisken in Nuri. Many of the ushabtis of this grandson and third successor of Taharqa are characterized by the presence of the double uraeus. The figure is wearing a “nemes” headdress (a headdress of white material adorned with stripes dyed in blue, a substitute for a crown. It is a light and comfortable covering of the whole of the head, falling vertically from behind the ears, and then tied in a knot near the nape of the neck, in the form of a plait. A scepter and a scourge are held in the hands crossed over the chest. There is also an inscription of nine lines on the body with text from Chapter VI of “The Book of the Dead”, dedicated to magic formulas for ushabtis.

The ushabti figures (those who answered) were figurines that were buried in tombs so that they could “respond” to a call from Osiris, when the latter demanded that the owner of the tomb perform certain manual labour in the afterlife. Apart from the fact that they held hoes and baskets like any labourer, the shaping of these figures imitated the features of the mummy of the deceased. The tomb of Taharqa contained one thousand and seventy stone ushabtis, which, in their time, had been lined up along the walls of the chambers and passageways in columns two or three deep. Ushabtis first appeared in the Middle Kingdom and the usual practice was to bury the deceased with 365 of them, one for each day of the year, grouped in squads commanded by 36 overseers. The large number of ushabtis in this case is quite remarkable. Moreover, as well as being of many different types and sizes, all these figures were carefully carved from veined marble, syenite, serpentine, green ankerite, quartzite, translucent calcite or alabaster. As they were the property of a monarch, some carry hoes and baskets, others appear with utensils characteristic of a king: sceptres and staves. Some have their heads covered with bag-form wigs while others wear the imperial headdress called “nemes”. All of them have the same text from Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead engraved on the body.

In the beginning the kings of Kush were buried in beds placed on platforms of stone inside their pyramids. These structures were based on private Egyptian tombs from the New Kingdom. Taharqa introduced more Egyptian-style elements like mummification, coffins and sarcophagi of Egyptian origin, as well as the use of the ushabti figurines.

During Dynasty XXV there was a nostalgic return to artistic forms of the past, particularly forms from the Middle and the New Kingdom. The use of stone for royal statuary and the sculptural style are the best examples of this tendency. To be precise, the ushabti figurines of the pharaoh with the somewhat rough carving of the body, the facial features and the use of obsolete versions of inscribed text, all reflect the influence of models that date from the Middle and New Kingdoms.

King Senkamanisken (Senk-amani-sken), reigned between 643 and 623 BC in Kush (Nubia) with its capital in the city of Napata. He married Nasalsa, the daughter of his predecessor, Atlanersa. His wife survived him. 

On his death his son, Anlamani, came to the throne and reigned until 593 BC, when he was replaced by his brother, Aspelta. Senkamanisken’s pyramid in the Nuri Necropolis is Nu. 3. 

Senkamanisken finished the building of Gebel Barkal which had been begun by Atlanersa. A giant statue of approximately 4 metres in height which once stood at its gates is now in the National Museum of Sudan. Archaeologists also found three smaller statues at Gebel Barkal representing this king.

These were buried, presumably hidden due to the attack on Kush of the Egyptian pharaoh, 
Psamatik II, in 592 BC. A sphinx with Senkamanisken’s name written on it was also found at this site. 

Diverse objects with his name engraved were found as well at Meroe, the future capital after the sacking of Kush by Psamatik, which indicates that this city became a place of relevance. There were numerous funerary ushabtis among these objects. More than 1277 ushabtis were found in his pyramid in Nuri, and these are conserved in the Brooklyn Museum. They are smaller but more numerous than those of his grandfather, Taharqa.

The stylistic tendencies of the preceding era, combining Egyptian influence with the purely Nubian tradition, are seen much improved in the sculptures of Senkmanisken. The legs and the feet are more solid and bigger than in works of anterior periods and for this reason are more convincing. The arms end in fists, which accentuate the musculature as a means of reflecting power. The head rests on a short neck while the black African facial features of the dynasty are evident. The double uraeus over the forehead remains in place. A khat headdress fits tightly over the rounded skull. A cord with depictions of the heads of cattle hangs around the neck. The figures wore various pieces of jewellery (bracelets, armbands and anklets), sandals with straps, the royal kilt and the cap.

Provenance: The family of M. Mustafa Abdalla Babeker, Khartoum, Sudan, 1917 - 1930. Collection of Don Cevera-Bes, 1930. Private European collection, 1940. Archaeological origin in the pyramid of Senkamanisken, the royal necropolis at Nuri, Nubia.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Ushabti of Pharaoh Taharqa, Sudan, Napata Period, Dynasty XXV of Ancient Egypt, Reign of Taharqa, c. 690 – 664 BC. Quartzite. Height 24.6 cm. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. 

This ushabti of the Pharaoh Taharqa belongs to the series of one thousand and seventy “answerers” found inside his pyramid in Nubia. The Egyptian influence is manifest, although the features are somewhat crude. The figure is wearing a “nemes” headdress (a headdress of white material adorned with stripes dyed in blue, a substitute for a crown. It is a light and comfortable covering of the whole of the head, falling vertically from behind the ears, and then tied in a knot near the nape of the neck, in the form of a plait. The figure has a “uraeus” on the forehead and is wearing a false beard. A scepter and a scourge are held in the hands crossed over the chest. There is also an inscription of nine lines on the body with text from Chapter VI of “The Book of the Dead”, dedicated to magic formulas for ushabtis.

The ushabti figures (those who answered) were figurines that were buried in tombs so that they could “respond” to a call from Osiris, when the latter demanded that the owner of the tomb perform certain manual labour in the afterlife. Apart from the fact that they held hoes and baskets like any labourer, the shaping of these figures imitated the features of the mummy of the deceased. The tomb of Taharqa contained one thousand and seventy stone ushabtis, which, in their time, had been lined up along the walls of the chambers and passageways in columns two or three deep. Ushabtis first appeared in the Middle Kingdom and the usual practice was to bury the deceased with 365 of them, one for each day of the year, grouped in squads commanded by 36 overseers. The large number of ushabtis in this case is quite remarkable. Moreover, as well as being of many different types and sizes, all these figures were carefully carved from veined marble, syenite, serpentine, green ankerite, quartzite, translucent calcite or alabaster. As they were the property of a monarch, some carry hoes and baskets, others appear with utensils characteristic of a king: sceptres and staves. Some have their heads covered with bag-form wigs while others wear the imperial headdress called “nemes”. All of them have the same text from Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead engraved on the body.

In the beginning the kings of Kush were buried in beds placed on platforms of stone inside their pyramids. These structures were based on private Egyptian tombs from the New Kingdom. Taharqa introduced more Egyptian-style elements like mummification, coffins and sarcophagi of Egyptian origin, as well as the use of the ushabti figurines.

During Dynasty XXV there was a nostalgic return to artistic forms of the past, particularly forms from the Middle and the New Kingdom. The use of stone for royal statuary and the sculptural style are the best examples of this tendency. To be precise, the ushabti figurines of the pharaoh with the somewhat rough carving of the body, the facial features and the use of obsolete versions of inscribed text, all reflect the influence of models that date from the Middle and New Kingdoms.

Tahaqa was the brother of Shebitko, the preceding king, and was the son of Pye, the Nubian king of Napata who conquered Egypt and founded the Dynasty XXV. It was during his reign that his enemies, the governors of Assyria, invaded Egypt. Esarhaddon, King of Assyria, lead various campaigns against Taharqa, invading Egypt in the seventeenth year of the reign of the pharaoh, and sacked Memphis, capturing a number of the members of the royal family. Taharqa fled to the south, and Esarhaddon reorganized the political structure in the north, placing Necho I, of Dynasty XXVI, on the throne as king at Sais. 

However, after the Assyrian king’s departure from the country, Taharqa intrigued in the affairs of Lower Egypt and fanned numerous revolts. Esarhaddon died before returning to Egypt, and it was left to his son and heir, Ashurbanipal, to once again invade Egypt. Ashurbanipal defeated Taharqa, who afterwards fled to Thebes where he died after the 26 years of his reign. He designated Tantamani, a son of Shabaka, as his successor. Taharqa was buried at Nuri in northern Sudan. 

Provenance: The family of M. Mustafa Abdalla Babeker, Khartoum, Sudan, 1917 - 1930. Collection of Don C. Bes, 1930. Private European collection, 1940. From the archaeological work at the pyramid of Taharqa, the royal necropolis of Nuri, Nubia.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Flask with two handles, Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, probably during the reign of Amenhotep III, 1387 – 1348 BC. Faience. Height 9.2 cm; maximum diameter 8.3 cm. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. 

An example of great aesthetic value of a glass faience vessel of cobalt blue. The stylized neck emerges from the top of the vessel ending at the mouth with a thin everted rim to allow the easy pouring of liquid. This rim was also emulating the form of an open blue lotus flower, the symbol of the Nile River. Two handles are joined to the rim and fall down to become attached to the shoulders of the vessel. 

This small flask is an antecedent of what are known as “New Year’s flasks”, and also of the Saint Menas pilgrim flasks from the Christian era. It was probably destined, as the former probably also were, to be filled with sacred water from the Nile, or with a special sacred oil.

The form of the flask is one originating outside Egypt. The first known examples come from Crete, where the presence of this form is documented for the Late Minoan I period at the end of the 16th Century BC. In any case, these flasks were typical during the reigns of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. The workshops of the master glassmakers of Malkata and Amarna produced many examples of this sort of object.

As in many of these, the craftsman incorporated a horizontal register with hieroglyphs. An invocation to the gods to grant the owner of the flask a prosperous new year would be inscribed in these registers. 

Both these flasks and the New Year’s flasks were destined to contain the first water from the flooding during the Egyptian New Year. This was associated with ritual ceremonies at this period and perhaps the water was to be drunk by the owner or poured as the first libation dedicated to the distant goddess, the eye of Ra.

The Egyptian new year began at the end of the dry season or summer, when the level of the Nile began to rise with flooding. The transition from the dry season to the time of flooding was considered by the Egyptians to be a dangerous period. It was a time of disease during which the low level of the Nile waters meant that epidemics could spread. For this reason, at these special moments special rites were celebrated to propitiate the goddess Sekhmet, and to other gods to win favour for the coming year. Ultimately, the idea was to be assured of a healthy and harmonious transition between the old and the new year. The ceremony to appease the lioness goddess, the wife of the god Ptah of Memphis, was present right through the history of Egypt. This type of flask was used in such ceremonies. It took on this particular form from the beginning of Dynasty XXVI when it was produced copying those imported, of Minoan production. 

Provenance: Private collection, England, acquired in the 1980s.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Votive Hippopotamus, Ancient Egypt, Middle Kingdom, Dynasties XI - XIII, 2081 - 1700 BC. Terracotta and pigments. Length 13.5 cm; height 8.4 cm. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

The hippopotamus (hipopotamus amphibius) was an integral member of the Nile landscape. The hippo is a big heavy animal with short cylindrical legs, and an even-toed ungulate. It lives in waterways, both during the day and the night, but in the evening it also moves in great herds over the land to feed on grass, its only nourishment. It was common to all of sub-Saharan Egypt before a great number of them were killed off for their edible flesh and for the ivory of their teeth. They disappeared from Egypt around the middle of the 19th Century.

From ancient times, a need was felt to represent this animal with the aim of symbolically overcoming its destructive power. Towards the end of the Middle Kingdom we find that a series of original and suggestive figures emerged which personified the bountiful, but also dangerous, Nile River. The body of this pachyderm, modelled in faience in an intense blue or green, was frequently decorated with painted scenes with birds and aquatic plant motifs which were associated with the environment in which it lived, giving the impression that the animal was emerging out of the very waters of the river. The figures reproduced the bulge of the ears, of the eyes and also the nasal cavities of this animal, all of which remained above water level, allowing it to see, hear and breathe, while all of its body lay submerged. The representations of these animals were often quite amusing. They were modelled with the mouth wide open, seated, with the head to one side, looking sleepy, or emerging from water. Through these images the Egyptians were trying to exorcise the danger that the live creatures represented for the boats sailing along the river.

However, when the pieces were placed in a tomb their meaning was totally different, as the piece changed into a symbolic figure for the sun, which emerged from the waters at the dawn of creation, and thus accompanied the deceased in rebirth. In the case of this piece, we have an animal made not from faience, but terracotta, placed on a rectangular plaque like a sled, the habitual means of transport for large pieces of sculpture. This may possibly allude to a ritual called the Festival of the White Hippopotamus, during which a hippo was pulled on a sled before the king. The faithful at this ceremony probably acquired figures like this one as ex-votos.

These aggressive and dangerous animals were feared by farmers for the destruction that they could cause to their cultivated fields. The hunting of the hippopotamus with a harpoon, seen often in paintings on the walls of tombs in the Old Kingdom, was a magic evocation of the struggle against the powers of evil. Towards the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, it became common to deposit statuettes of this animal in tombs. 

With Thermoluminiscence test.  

Provenance: Private collection, England, acquired in the 1980s from the English art market.

CONDITION: In a good state of preservation. Intact.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Peseshkef, Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, IV - VI Dynasties, 2630 – 2160 BC. Flint. Height 17 cm. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. 

CONDITION: Intact apart from a small chip off one of the upper prongs, which has been professionally restored.

The “peseshkef” was a prehistoric flint blade in the form of a fishtail and found in Ancient Egypt. It is considered to be the first surgical instrument in history. It was used from the Late Pre-dynastic Period to cut the umbilical cord after birth.

It was worked from a nucleus of material in the form of the letter Y. Both sides of the blade were fashioned. The inside edge of the extreme forked end has a fine denticulation, which mostly shows no damage, as if this knife-edge were not actually for use for cutting. The handle was perhaps made from an organic material such as ivory, bone or wood. Until such time as further studies can throw more light, it would seem very probable that most of these fishtail knives were fashioned from dark grey or brown flint.

The term “fishtail form” most certainly comes from the use for which it was originally created: it could be easily used to cut any type of cord. Given its religious significance it ended up being used only to cut umbilical cords. Birth had an enormous importance in Egypt, and accordingly it acquired a magic-religious importance. The cutting of the cord represented the disconnection of the mother and the child, and therefore, the separation of their destinies. The mortality rate, moreover, was extremely high. 

The word “peseshkef” comes from the union of two words: “pesesh”, which means “technique of separation”, which separates, and “kef”, which means “that which scrapes away flesh”. The instrument, in this case, is made from flint. 

A series of flint knives were discovered during the excavations of F. Petrie in Ballas and Naqada in the years 1894 and 1895. These had very exaggerated forms and similar, although more sharply pointed morphology. These were named “forked lances” or “fishtail knives”. They came from an earlier period, Naqada I and IID. They are primitive examples, with a wider body than later models, but with more curved prongs. They have been thoroughly worked by the flaking method, making the cutting edge in the forked end. In the same way, the edges of the instrument show little sign of wear, which makes discovering their practical use impossible. Later, it was discovered that in the Dynastic Period they played an important role in the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony.

Most of these primitive “forked lances” have no space or way to be held or sustained. However, a recently excavated knife from Hierakonpolis shows that they could have had cane handles held in place by strips of leather. This example was found in burial 412 of the cemetery HK43 and, just like the other knives with fishtail blades, would have been deposited there as part of the grave goods to accompany the deceased.

Thanks to the set of objects for the ceremony of the “Opening of the Mouth”, found in tombs of the Old Kingdom, these flints have been identified as one of the essential instruments for this act. It was usual to present it on a tray along with small recipients and other instruments such as the adze. The peseshkef was used to touch the mouth of the mummy. The rebirth in the Other World demanded that the mummified body of the deceased would be able to eat. Through this ritual, the mummy regained all the faculties and bodily functions that it had had in life. It is possible that the peseshkef, blunted, as are these ritual ones, represented an imaginary umbilical cord, and at some moment in the ceremony the Sem priest touched the mouth of the mummy with this instrument to symbolize the scene of a second birth. 

The goddess of childbirth, Meskhenet, can be identified by her name in hieroglyphs and by her headdress, the peseshkef. This headdress of the goddess was equated with a symbolic cow’s uterus, in a clear allusion to Hathor, the cow god, protector of maternity. Normally, the gods of the Egyptian pantheon were identified by their headdresses, each wearing a unique symbol. In this sense, the knife that cut the umbilical cord symbolised the goddess of childbirth.

Although the exact function of the fishtail knives has not been determined, their quality in their relationship with the working of flint, and their rarity (as only 200 or so of them are known to be in existence), connect them to the elite of society. Social stratification became much more complex during the 4th Millennium BC and a class of specialized craftsmen was coming into existence specifically to work in the service of the governing elite, whose members had access to a wide range of material goods and, above all, to knowledge, which set them apart from the majority of the population. The demands of the governing class and the producers of fishtail knives were intertwined and connected to the prestige and knowledge of those, who, after all, would be using them.

Provenance: Private collection, Barcelona, Spain, acquired in the 1980s. 

Literature: - FAULKNER, E.O. The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts. Aris & Philips. 1994.
- HARER, B. Peseshkef: the First Special-Purpose Surgical Instrument. Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol. 83, 1994.
- PETRIE, W. F. Naqada and Ballar. Bernard Quaritch. London. 1896.
- PETRIE, W. F. Tools and Weapons. British School of Archaeology in Egypt and Egyptian Research Account 30. London. 1917. 
- PETRIE, W. F. Prehistoric Egypt Illustrated by over 1,000 Objects in University College, London. British School of Archaeology in Egypt and Egyptian Research Account 31. London. 1910. 
- ROTH, A.M. The PSS.KF and the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 78. 1992.
- TEETER, E. Before the Pyramids. The Origins of Egyptian Civilization. Oriental Inst. Museum Pub 33. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago 2011.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Flint in a stylised form of a crocodile, Ancient Egypt, Naqada II or Dynasty I, 3300 - 2900 BC. Flint. Length 7.5 cm. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

An ochre-coloured flint in the form of a slightly stylised crocodile. The front surface has been sculpted by the method of flaking, while the reverse has been left smooth. 

The crocodile was one of the animals most feared by the Egyptians, as it was one of the dangers of the Nile River. Despite his natural character as an aggressor, the inhabitants came to deify him, depicting him as benevolent. He was considered as the creator of the Nile, as its waters were formed out of the sweat of the creature. He was also worshipped as a god of fertility, vegetation and life. He was called Sobek and received the title of “Lord of the Waters”.

This animal has frequently been found represented in Ancient Egypt since its first appearances early on in the first dynasties. The main place of worship was at Shedet (Crocodilopolis, El-Faiyum) on Lake Moeris, and later at Thebes and Nubt (Ombos). Here can be found the famous Temple of Kom Ombo, whose construction started during the Ptolemaic VI Period.

As a curiosity, and in relation to this figurative flint, Crocodilopolis was the Greek name of the capital of the 21st nome, or administrative division, of Upper Egypt. It was a city near Lake Moeris in the present-day region of Al-Fayoum to the north of Hawara. It was the ancient city of Pre-Sobek, “House of Sobek”. Nearby can be found a building complex described by Herodotus called “the Laberinyth” near Hawara. Here in this region sacred crocodiles called Petsuchos were venerated and buried. These animals were particularly worshipped in the city as supposed living incarnations of the god Sobek. It is, then, plausible that this flint, along with others, came from this zone, where there existed a crocodile cult practically from Pre-Dynastic times.

This small sculpture – it would be an error to call it an object – can clearly be differentiated from flint items used exclusively to cut, scrape or perforate. Its existence encompasses elements of a wide cultural and religious background which transform the piece into a talisman. Some of the best examples of pieces like this one have been found in Hierakonpolis. These, however, have come from places of worship, settlements or cemeteries, but not directly from tombs. The Hierakonpolis ibex is a very famous piece fashioned so that the animal is in profile with great antlers and very long legs.

Almost all the cultural material existing in these formative periods has been found in burial sites. These all have great similarities as they consist of a hole in the ground where the deceased is placed in a foetal position and where the dryness of the desert mummifies the corpse and preserves it for eternity. Grave goods were placed around the body. These principally consisted of: jewellery; vases both in stone of many different types and terracotta, in which notable pieces have been found in animal forms; cosmetic palettes in animal and geometric forms and lastly, knives and other flint instruments.

Flint is an impure and compact variety of quartz-chalcedony. It is found in abundance in both Egypt and Sudan in the form of pebbles along the length of the Nile Valley, and as nodules or masses of smaller or greater size in sedimentary rock such as limestone which has been mined at least since the Neolithic period.

The colour of flint varies from dark grey, to light ochre or blonde. It was used in Egypt from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Kingdom. Its use competed with copper in weaponry. Flint was mostly used for arms and utensils such as arrow points, darts, lances, knives, chisels, burins, scrapers and sickle blades, although it was also used to make bracelets and vessels. Due to its magic properties texts mention its use in the making of certain amulets.

It is not necessary to point out the importance of this material in its pre-historic use. However the role it played in the mentality of the Ancient Egyptians as “the stone of preference of the Gods in their struggle against the demons of the Other World” is practically unknown. This ritual role of flint appears in two forms, one material and the other linguistic. 

The care taken in the fashioning of flint objects suffered a sort of falling-off: while its use still continued until the Ptolemaic Period, its working became cruder, by simple percussion flaking which was quicker and easier. However, the religious connection continued, as proof of this we have the existence of the word used for flint in the Egyptian language which also means “knife”, and was used by the King of the Gods to defeat demons. It is a “stone used to beat and annihilate the enemies in the underworld”. This association can be found up until the Roman era in ritual texts. So that for more than two millennia, the King or the Gods annihilated the enemy with a “flint” thus adding the stone’s magic character to its efficacy as a cutting object. 

Provenance: From the private collection of 1,200 pieces of an Egyptologist in Scandinavia, acquired over the past 40 years. Specifically, it was acquired at EEF Sales, previously the Astarte Gallery, London, in 1992. 

Literature: - EATON-KRAUSS, M. et. al. Dawn of Egyptian Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York. 2011. 
- PETRIE, W. F. Tools and Weapons. British School of Archaeology in Egypt and Egyptian Research Account 30. London. 1917. 
- PETRIE, W. F. Prehistoric Egypt Illustrated by over 1,000 Objects in University College, London. British School of Archaeology in Egypt and Egyptian Research Account 31. London. 1910. 
- TEETER, E. Before the Pyramids. The Origins of Egyptian Civilization. Oriental Institute Museum Pub 33. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago 2011.

Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Attributed to the Manchester Class Painter. Figurative kantharos, Attic, Greek, c. 470 BC. Pottery. Height 21.2 cm. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

A figurative red-figure style pottery vase of the kantharos type. It was made from a mould in two pieces which were later joined together. The line of union can still be seen on the sides. The body of the vessel represents the head of a satyr with the short wide neck of the vessel rising above it and with an outward-curving lip. A flat handle is located on the back of the vase.

The satyr has a thick beard painted in black slip with incised wavy vertical lines. The two pointy ears, outlined also in black, stand out from the head. The almond-shaped eyes are wide-open in an archaic style, looking fixedly forward. They are worked in relief and framed by eyelashes and eyebrows in the same intense black. The nose is small and round, with a long flowing moustache below it painted in brown. This partly covers the purple-painted lips. A band of wool, depicted by a chain of white dots in relief, circles the head above the forehead. As usual with satyrs, the head is bald although there is some hair remaining on the sides painted in black. 

The surface of the neck of the vase above this head is painted with a figurative scene. We can see a naked satyr with a tail and the same facial characteristics described above. He appears to be running and jumping, chasing a maenad. She is depicted running away from him with her head turned back to look at the creature, and her pleated gown flowing behind her. The artist has painted floral decorations in the form of palmettes on either side of the scene.

This amusing scene is closely related to the vessel and to the head of the satyr. All the elements work together, as satyrs are masculine creatures that accompany Pan and Dionysus in Greek mythology, roaming around forests and mountains. In this mythology they are often related to sexual appetite, and painters of vessels used to represent them, often with a permanent erection, alongside nymphs and maenads.

In visual arts and literature the satyr was often seen as the antithesis to the rational and controlled Greek man. As in this case, the satyr was represented along with nymphs and maenads. Maenads, the name which in Greek means “those who rave”, were divine female beings closely related to Dionysus. They were portrayed as frenzied wild women with whom it was impossible to reason. The early ones were nymphs who reared and cared for the god, and later were possessed by him, excited by him to mystical madness. Both satyrs and maenads took part in the orgiastic cult of Dionysus, the god of wine, and in dionystic rites. This god was called the “Liberator”, as he freed people from their normal selves through frenzy, ecstasy and wine. The divine mission of Dionysus was to mix the music of the aulos, and to drive away cares and worries. For this reason it is common to see him represented along with the satyrs and maenads on pottery vases to be used to hold intoxicating liquid. 

This vase is one of the best known within its rare type, both for its quality and its state of preservation. It has been attributed to the Painter “Manchester Class”, of whose work only one similar vessel is known, and which is documented in the Beazley archive of Greek vases CVA (Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum). By the same token there are very few known figurative kantharoi. Only twenty three are recorded in this same archive with portrayals of satyrs, similar to this piece in question. 

A kantharos or drinking cup is a vessel type used for drinking in Greek and Etruscan civilization. In its iconic form it is characterised by a bowl with two large and high-swung vertical handles on its sides which extend above the lip of the vessel and then fall down to be inserted near the top of the long vertical foot. It was much developed in Greek pottery and was present in most of its principal periods. This type of vessel bears little relationship with the typical pottery pitcher made from porous clay which allows the liquid inside it, water in general, to remain cool, and which some archaeology manuals and arts terms designate as pitchers or “canters”.

Red-figure pottery was one of the most important figurative styles of Greek production. It developed in Greece around the year 530 BC and was used until the 3rd Century BC. It took the place of the previously dominant style of black-figure pottery within a few decades. The technical base was the same in both cases, but in the red-figure pieces the colour was reversed, so that the figures stood out against a dark background as if they were lit up by theatrical lighting, following a more natural scheme. The painters who worked with black figures were forced to keep motifs clearly separated one from the other and to limit the complexity of the illustration. In contrast, the red-figure technique allowed greater freedom. Each figure was silhouetted against a dark background allowing the painters to render anatomic details with greater exactitude and variety. 

The technique consisted of painting motifs on a still moist piece, using a transparent glossy slip which, on firing, took on an intense black colouration. The motifs were therefore invisible before the firing and so painters had to work completely from memory without seeing the result of their work beforehand. Once the piece had been fired the zones not covered by the slip retained the reddish tone of the clay, while those that had been “painted” with the slip took on a dense, brilliant black colouration. 

Attribution made by Dr. Michael Padgett, Curator of Ancient Art at Princeton University Art Museum, USA.

With Thermoluminescence test. 

Provenance: A private collection, Belgium, acquired in the 1970s. 

Exhibition: - TEFAF, Maastricht, 2015, exhibited by the Harmakhis Galerie. - Masterpiece, London, 2016, exhibited by the Safani Gallery Inc.

Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain

Pharaoh, Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasties XXI - XXII, c. 1050 - 700 BC. Bronze. Height 10.5 cm (12.1 cm with pegs). Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

A noble solid bronze figure of a pharaoh making an offering. He is seen in a common pose in the typological repertory of this sort of statuary. Usually such a figure would be positioned in front of one on a larger scale, a figure of the principal deity of the temple where the pieces were to be placed.

The monarch is kneeling with the knees on the ground and the feet toward the back, giving a sense of balance to the upright torso and head. The right arm lies parallel to the body, resting on the thigh and with the palm of the hand open and extended forwards. The left arm is lost but this allows the manner of production of the piece to be understood. The arms were fabricated separately and inserted into the shoulders with a system of box and pin joints. This technique began with early copper sculptures, of which some few are still in existence, and it became popular with the first bronze figures made during the New Kingdom.

The head has perhaps a rather infantile appearance as it is on the large side when compared to the torso, and this is accentuated by the “Nemes” headdress, that of Egyptian royalty. This is a striped headcloth which totally covers the head apart from the face and the ears. It falls vertically behind the ears and is tied at the back in a knot near the nape of the neck as if it were a plait, and is divided into vertical and horizontal stripes. The last part of the headdress is the uraeus, the image of the goddess Wadjet, in the form of a cobra in an upright position, a clear symbol of protection. The face, with handsome, delicate features, and the ears alone are uncovered. These facial features, along with the technique used to set the arms in place, allow us to place the production of the piece in the Third Intermediate Period. We see a depiction somewhere between the serious, elegant, even majestic faces tending towards realism in the physiognomies at the time of the New Kingdom, and the extremely impersonal depictions of poor quality, of the Late Period. 

The pharaoh, as in all representations of the Old and New Kingdom, is characteristically depicted with a solid chest and a thinner waist, which was the idealized state for a young, healthy man. The sculptor or craftsman, given that the role of the artist did not exist at that time, has marked out both the nipples and the navel. The pharaoh is wearing a pleated kilt tied at the waist. Four appendages or pegs are attached, two each at the knees and the feet, so that the figure can be attached and held in place correctly on the base. This was probably made of wood or bronze.

Although these small bronze sculptures of kings in this particular position first appear in the New Kingdom, a greater number of them were produced in the Third Intermediate Period. This suggests a greater attention to the subordinate role of the pharaoh to the gods, which is reflected in the religious philosophy. As the power of the king was no longer the same as in the first great kingdom, he became subject to the will of the gods.

The technique of lost wax casting is a sculptural procedure using a mould made from a prototype of the piece to be worked, and this prototype is usually made from beeswax. This is covered with a thick layer of soft material, usually clay, which then solidifies. Once this has hardened it is put in a kiln where the wax inside melts and leaks out through expressly made holes in the clay. In its place molten metal is injected and this takes on the exact form of the mould. To release the final piece the mould must be removed.

Provenance: Old collection of G.S., Holland, established in the 1960s

Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain