Lot 9B
Ancient Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A faience charm in the form of the bull deity, Apis, with carefully molded and etched details. The divine bovine strides forward atop an integral plinth with a suspension loop on the back and emphasis on the phallic region on both sides of the amulet via incised lines. Between the horns is a tiny form that may be a uraeus cobra. The Apis bull or Hapis (also spelled Hapi-ankh) was a sacred bull who is identified as the son of Hathor and worshipped primarily in the Memphis region. Size: 0.8" L x 0.2" W x 0.45" H (2 cm x 0.5 cm x 1.1 cm); 2" H (5.1 cm) on included custom stand.
Apis was originally worshipped by Narmer, the ruler who unified Upper and Lower Egypt around 3000 BCE - the sacred bull is shown trampling the pharaoh's enemies on the Narmer palette that commemorates the unification. Three thousand years later, by the time of Roman control of Egypt, the worship continued. Though centered around the city of Memphis, the cult of Apis was so extensive in Egypt that the Greeks and Romans wrote about it repeatedly.
Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1998 to 2023, reference number EL01.014.1998.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA; ex-collection of Philip Mitry, noted antiquarian, 1930 to 1953, then imported into the United States; Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1998 to 2023, reference number EL01.014.1998
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#182193
- Condition: Old chip to tail and surface pitting, otherwise intact and excellent. Old inventory number on surface. Mounted on a wood display stand.
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