Sotheby's Lioness Warrior Goddess

If you every happen to walk past the London auction firm of Sotheby's in New Bond Street be sure to take a look at the black basalt statue that sits above the entrance. The statue is a bust of the lioness warrior goddess Sekhmet and is believed to have been carved in ancient Egypt around 1320 B.C. The Sotheby's Sekhmet is supposedly the oldest privately owned statue on outdoor display in London (for comparison Cleopatra's Needle is dated from around 1460 BC). The statue apparently came to Sotheby's in the 1800s as part of a collection of Egyptian artifacts, which were subsequently sold for £40. However, the statue's buyer never appeared to collect it, and as such Sotheby's retained the Sekhmet.

Pictures, London (May 2012).

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