Sekhmet Sculpture Serves as Sotheby’s Unofficial Mascot in London
For more than a century, a bust of the ancient Egyptian goddess Sekhmet has presided over the front entrance of Sotheby’s London on New Bond Street, becoming a quiet fixture of the auction house’s daily life.
Carved from diorite around 1320 BCE, the lion headed figure predates the London building and the firm itself. Installed above the doorway of the New Bond Street premises, the sculpture has acquired a reputation among staff and visitors as Sotheby’s unofficial mascot, watched by clients arriving for sales and exhibitions.
Unlike works that pass through the saleroom with documented ownership histories, Sekhmet’s precise provenance remains uncertain. Over decades the bust has accumulated stories and superstitions, from informal rituals observed by employees to speculation about how the sculpture first came to occupy its position above the entrance.
Readers can learn more about the sculpture’s history and its place in the company’s culture through Sotheby’s published features.