Bidspirit auction | Egyptian Faience Sistrum Fragment with

Egyptian Faience Sistrum Fragment with Hathor Head - Late Period, 664-332 B.C. Pale blue-green bifacial bust of Hathor with D-shaped face, characteristic banded hair with curled ends, cow's ears, broad collar of radiating segments; circular attachment point beneath for handle. Cf. Schoske, S., Sch?nheit - Abglanz der G?ttlichkeit. Kosmetik im Alten ?gypten, Munich, 1990, p.142, no.127, for a similar Hathor head element on a near complete sistrum. 44.4 grams, 50 mm (2 in.). Acquired in the 1970s.European private collection. This fragment is the central element of a highly decorative sistrum. The sistrum was a rattle-like instrument played exclusively by women in religious ceremonies. The sound produced by the sistrum was believed to drive away evil and soothe a god's anger. Hathor is the daughter of the sun god Re, and in her role as a mother goddess is often depicted as a cow or with bovine characteristics as here. Hathor is also associated with love, music and dancing, and the sistrum is one of her sacred symbols. (For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price.)