Pendant Amulet of the Bull God Apis. Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664 - 332 BC. Stone, Lapis Lazuli. 4.3 cm length. CONDITION: Good condition, intact. PROVENANCE: Private collection, Nantes, France. Acquired before the 1970's. DESCRIPTION: A sculpture carved from a small block of semi-precious stone, composed of lazurite (aluminosilicate of calcium and sodium), sodalite, calcite and pyrite, which gives it its characteristic blue colour. It depicts the effigy of the Apis bull, standing on a flat rectangular base with a ring on its back so that it can be hung and worn as a protector. The anatomy of the animal's physiognomy and musculature is perfect. As an image of a god, it is shown with the sun disc between its horns. He stands on a rectangular base in a marching attitude but with his head slightly lowered and looking forward, almost in an attacking position. Of particular note are the incised facial details as well as the ornamentation of the back; linear and radial necklace around the neck. Very popular throughout Ancient Egyptian history, the cult of Apis was not offered to all bulls, but to a single, carefully chosen, individual animal considered divine. Apis was a living bull guarded in the temple of Ptah at Memphis. More than just a sacred animal, he was worshipped by the faithful. Apis was the tangible, the life, the expression on earth of a chief god who served as an intermediary between humans and the great god. Through him, the Egyptians could speak to the god, and ask him questions which he answered in oracle-like fashion by moving and being interpreted by the priests. Like the king, Apis was considered a living god. And just like the king, he also died and was transformed into Osiris Apis, as the inscriptions found in the Serapeion of Memphis at Saqqara, the great tomb of the Apis bulls, show. The use of amulets by the Ancient Egyptians is well documented from the pre-dynastic period. Inscribed lists have been found such as in the Temple of Dendera or in the so-called Mc. Gregor papyrus where about 75 different models of amulets are listed with their form, function, meaning and significance. On them, by means of the word (very important for the ancient Egyptians) and the correct rituals, the object was imbued with magical powers so that it could perform the function of protection for the individual who wore it, we could consider it as the act of consecration so that an inanimate object could obtain divine characteristics. Written sources mention that lapis lazuli was obtained from Western Asia, Meroe and Punt. However, there are no known mines in these areas. Although some claim that lapis lazuli was found in Egypt, it is almost certain that the only source in ancient Egypt was Badakshan in northeastern Afghanistan. The stone then came to Egypt along trade routes. The Egyptians prized lapis lazuli stone because of the associations they had between its dark blue colour with the night skies and the gold specks of pyrite that reminded them of the stars. In other words, an image of the heavens. The Egyptians believed that the hair of the gods was made of lapis lazuli. It was undoubtedly a rare and prized material. They saw life in the deep blue of the water and the divine in the immense blue of the sky and continually used Lapis Lazuli to portray it all. Artists depicted the Nile, the most important river in Ancient Egypt, in blue. Blue was also the background colour of the paintings depicting the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. #ExclusiveCabinetofCuriosities