Egyptian works are arguably the most popular class of antiquities today and they accounted for five of the ten highest prices.
Leading the list at £550,000 was this 5in (13cm) long Middle Kingdom (2040-1783 BC) turquoise faience model of a hippopotamus, top right, a piece which combined charm, humour and great rarity. The hippo, which Mildenberg had named Hubert, is decorated in manganese with Nilotic flora and fauna that includes the amusing little vignette of a frog eying up a butterfly detailed bottom right.
