Description
Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Periods, ca. 712 to 30 BCE. A beautiful, brightly painted gesso and linen panel from a sarcophagus, decorated with fine artwork depicting the god Thoth and goddess Sekhmet, standing in profile, both mummiform, between two registers of hieroglyphs. Thoth has his ibis-headed form, with a long beak and curved neck; his body is mummiform, with a blue wig and what looks like the Atef Crown, a tall, conical crown with ostrich feathers on each side, thought to be a representation of the plumed feathers of the sacred Bennu bird. Thoth was the god of wisdom and writing, and in worship to him many thousands of ibises were ritually sacrificed, embalmed, and mummified before being buried in underground galleries. Size of fragment at widest: 5.1" W x 11.7" H (13 cm x 29.7 cm); size of frame: 9.125" W x 14.5" H (23.2 cm x 36.8 cm)
Sekhmet also wears the Atef Crown and a blue wig, with a mummiform body; her head is that of a lion. Sekhmet's name means "the powerful one" and she was seen as a strong protector of the pharaohs who was also a warrior goddess and could lead them in warfare. The two figures are in a line, and at the edges of the fragment, we can see that there were once two other figures beside them. These gods and the hieroglyphs surrounding them were designed to offer protection to the person inside the sarcophagus in the afterlife.
Provenance: private Pasadena, California, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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Middle Kingdom Egyptian Wooden Boatman
Description
Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 11th to 12th Dynasty, ca. 2030 to 1640 BCE. A sacred boatman figure, skillfully carved in a pose that departs from the kneeling position of a rower; instead the legs are outstretched as if this person is a passenger or the foreman. Once carved, the figure was covered in a thin layer of gesso and painted in red, black, and white hues. This example still retains carved and painted facial details and a classic cap-styled coiffure. An impressive boat figure, most likely created to be placed in the tomb of Egyptian royalty as was the custom. Funerary boat models were created to assist in the deceased's journey through the underworld. The most well-known models came from Meketre's tomb, more than half of which were funerary boats. Size: 6.75" H (17.1 cm); 7.75" H (19.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids
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Pale Green Faience Egyptian Ushabti
Description
Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. A classic example of a faience ushabti (shabti), pale seafoam green, with black details painted on the head and upper body, giving the figure its mummiform details. There is also a black-painted line of hieroglyphs down the front of the body. Ushabti were placed in tombs as grave goods, created to do manual labor for the deceased in the afterlife. As a result, they are frequently depicted with arms crossed, holding hoes and baskets, as this one is. Towards the end of the Pharaonic period, they had become so necessary and elaborate that some tombs contained one worker for every day of the year and thirty-six overseers, each responsible for ten laborers. Workers like this one are from that period of enormous proliferation, and are some of our best surviving insights into ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Many are inscribed with pleas to Osiris. Size: 1.55" W x 4.7" H (3.9 cm x 11.9 cm)
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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