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Lot 313*

An Egyptian mummified falcon

6 July 2023, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,376 inc. premium

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An Egyptian mummified falcon
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.
49cm high

Footnotes

Provenance:
Bodo Bleß (1940-2022) collection, Berlin, formed from ca. 1960 onwards.
Accompanied by an x-ray of the interior.

The body of the mummy covered by faience net beading, which though ancient, is unlikely to originally belong to the falcon.

Falcons, still common in Egypt today, are associated with the sun-god Horus and a number of other gods, with cults worshipping them scattered across ancient Egypt. These mummified birds were offered in temples by pilgrims and when sufficient amounts were donated priests would bury the animals in special necropoleis.

Additional information

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