Origin: Egypt Circa: 720 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze At first glance, this  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 720 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze At first glance, this bronze statuette of Osiris appears to be very unassuming. The god of the Hereafter is represented in the time-honored manner as a figure standing upon an integral base from which protrudes a tang for insertion into a now-missing base. We can, therefore, suggest that this figure was part of a larger group composition which may have included a depiction of an elite member of Egyptian society, in smaller scale, kneeling in obeisance before this god. Osiris is represented as a mummiform figure with his hands protruding from beneath his stylized mummy bandages in order to hold the crook and flail, his traditional attributes. His accessories include a plaited beard which slips down under his chin and an atef-crown, the White Crown of which is flanked on each side by a single ostrich feature representing “truth.” This crown is fronted by a uraeus, or sacred cobra.This object is separated from more routine depictions of Osiris in bronze by the attention paid to the depiction on its back. There in raised relief, is a depiction of his sister and wife, Isis, facing right. She is shown standing on a tall, reticulated base, perhaps intended to suggest her throne. Her striated headdress supports her attribute in the form of a pair of cow’s horns framing a solar disc. Her tightly fitting sheath is ornamented with linear detail, suggesting the pattern textile from which it was woven. She is equipped with wings which she spreads out over the back of her husband in an eternal gesture of protection. Such depictions are exceedingly rare in the repertoire of ancient Egyptian bronze representations of Osiris, but a good parallel is provided by a similarly designed statuette in a private collection in Belgium. On the basis of their styles, such images can be dated to the Late Period.References: For the example in Belgium, see, J. F. and L. Aubert, Bronzes et or Egyptiens (Paris 2001), pages 215 and 446, plate 30.Description and interpretation kindly provided by Prof. Robert S. Bianchi. - (LO.1033)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 2.7" (6.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Gilded  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 2.7" (6.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Gilded BronzeThis image of an ancient Egypt pharaoh depicts him in a kneeling pose, which is the most common attitude adopted by the ancient Egyptian metal smiths for royal representations of their rulers in bronze. Our king wears a striated kilt which is secured at the waist by a braided belt together with a striated nemes-headdress fronted by a uraeus. The stripes of the lappets falling on to his shoulders are narrower and more closely spaced than those on the part that covers the head proper. His arms are bent at the waist and rest on the top of his tights with the palms open and vertical in order to accommodate a now-missing element, most probably a shrine in which appeared an image of a deity. Our statuette is provided with two tangs for insertion into a now missing base. Although not inscribed, our anonymous portrait can be assigned to the Late Period on the basis of its style. The careful modeling of the torso places attention on its tri-partition while emphasizing a pinched, somewhat high waist and corpulent lower abdominal region. The canon of proportions conforms to that introduced during Dynasty XXVI so that ration of the height of the head to that of the height of the body produces a slightly more attenuated figure in which the head appears to be relatively smaller in proportion to the body; this proportional distinction is thereafter repeated in later dynasties. In keeping with this proportional diminution, the shape of the head is wider than it is tall, and characterized by idealizing features. These include horizontally arranged almond-shaped eyes, a nose with broad wings, and a small mouth, likewise horizontally aligned, with thin lips. One can, therefore, assigned our bronze portrait of an anonymous pharaoh to the period between 664 and 30 B.C. Its preserved gilding sets it apart from many other examples of this well-known type. References: Marshal Hill, Royal Bronze Statuary from Ancient Egypt with Special Attention to the Kneeling Pose (Leiden 2004), pages 75-117. Description and interpretation kindly provided by Prof. Robert S. Bianchi. - (LO.1034)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1080 BC to 720 BC Dimensions: 16" (40.6cm) high x 8.75" (22.2cm) wide x 1.25" (3.2cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Third  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1080 BC to 720 BC Dimensions: 16" (40.6cm) high x 8.75" (22.2cm) wide x 1.25" (3.2cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Third Intermediate Period Medium: Wood These brightly painted and well-preserved wooden panels contain mirror-images of what appears to be the same scene, suggesting that they were symmetrically arranged on the sarcophagus to which these panels originally belonged. The best preserved of the two figures in each pair is a mummiform, jackal-headed deity, who, although not inscribed, can plausibly be identified as Duamutef, one of the Four Sons of Horus. His identification seems assured by his iconography which includes his tightly-fitting white garment with its red ribbons, which represent the mummy bandages in which he and his brothers are traditionally enveloped. These deities stand on neb-signs which represent luxury vessels created from banded alabaster, indicated by their angular ornamentation. The baskets represent the word neb, “lord” or “master” in the hieroglyphs, and were probably incorporated into a rebus, or visual pun, forming one or more epithets associated with these Four Sons of Horus. There are two vertical motifs near the legs of each pair of figures. The element to the far left and right is a stylized representation of romaine lettuce, used in ancient Egyptian art as a signifier of the fecundity inherent in the plant world and a symbol of resurrection. The other element is perhaps best understood as a censor, containing a ball of frankincense or myrrh in its cup-like top, the smoke of which was traditionally used to accompanying the performance of sacred rituals.References: For an impression of how these two panels may have appeared on the sides of an anthropoid sarcophagus of the period, see, A. Niwinski, 21st Dynasty Coffins from Thebes (Mainz am Rhein 1988), page 92, figure 42.- Dr. Robert Steven BianchiDimensions of left panel: height 16", width 8.75", depth 1.25"Dimensions of right panel: height 19", width 7.5", approx. depth 1" - (LO.1110)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 4.75" (12.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Middle Kingdom, Dyn. XII Medium: faience This headdress in a  More »

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 4.75" (12.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Middle Kingdom, Dyn. XII Medium: faience This headdress in a deep blue faience with black glaze details was crafted as three individual pieces—the base, the shaft, and the headrest proper—which were designed to fit seamlessly into one another.Although used in life, as the furniture from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres found at Giza suggests, headrests were also included among the funerary furnishings provided for the deceased in order to insure that one’s head did not become separated from one’s body in the Hereafter. This religious conceit is clearly articulated in Spell 166 of the so-called Book of the Dead in which one reads, “Your head shall not be taken from you afterwards/your head shall not be taken from you for ever.”The dating of our headdress may be suggested by considering the nature of its faience and its shape. In general, headdress of the earlier periods of ancient Egyptian history are characterized by a single, relatively tall shaft whereas in the later periods, beginning with Dynasty XVIII, the shafts appear to become somewhat more squat and thicker and these are set into relatively larger bases which rise up in wide sweeping tapers toward the intersection with the shaft. If one adheres to this suggested development of the type, our headrest shares more in common with earlier than later examples. The color of the faience used would tend to support a dating within the Middle Kingdom, and this suggested dating is in keeping with the development just outlined. As such our headdress is an early, and rarely encountered, example of the type in faience.References: See, W. M. Flinders Petrie, Objects of Daily Use (London1927), plates XXX-XXXII for the various types of headdresses; A. Weise and A. Brodbeck, Tutankhamun. The Golden Beyond. Tomb Treasures from the Valley of the Kings (Basel 2004), pages 314-315, for a discussion of the religious symbolism of the headrest; W. Stevenson Smith, Ancient Egypt as Represented in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston 1960), pages 68-69, for the furniture from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres.Description and interpretation kindly provided by Prof. Robert S. Bianchi. - (LO.1173)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 343 BC Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: faience Faience, the use of which  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 343 BC Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: faience Faience, the use of which dates back to pre-dynastic times, is a glasslike non-clay substance made of materials common to Egypt: ground quartz, crushed quartz pebbles, flint, a soluble salt-like baking soda and lime. Colour varied the most common colour is blue, which was achieved through the application of ground copper. Called tjehnet by the ancient Egyptians (meaning that which is brilliant or scintillating) faience was thought to be endowed with the immortal light of the sun, moon and stars, and was believed to be symbolic of rebirth. The associations of faience were so strong that it is often associated with burial contexts, guaranteeing some form of immortality for the deceased. Various objects, from shabtis to tiny models of household articles, were commonly made from faience and placed in the tomb. The present artefacts were presumably made and deposited with this same aim in mind, but they are very unusual finds, especially in their almost perfect state of preservation. The bodies of the vessels are flared out from small pedestal bases to form a generally rounded profile, heading to near vertical sides in the upper 1/3 of the vessel. Colour is an excellent and uniform turquoise. Each vessel possesses a small, disc-shaped lid that sits perfectly onto/into each rim of the vessel. Each cup is marked with short hieroglyphic texts that are believed to express either the contents of the vessel, or alternatively some form of benediction for the interred individual. These vessels were usually used to contain valuable unguents; the presence of lids places them after the sixth dynasty, when this form became traditional. Considering the diminutive size of these containers, they most probably functioned specifically as a funerary offering, standing in place of its larger, everyday counterpart. This interpretation is consistent with the luxury of the material and the presence of the text. A very unusual and attractive addition to any serious collection of Egyptian funerary art. - (X.0733)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 716 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 1.5" (3.8cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Period Medium: Faience This important  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 716 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 1.5" (3.8cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Late Period Medium: Faience This important work depicts a blue faience figure of a four-headed ram (sacred to the god Khnum) standing astride a rectangular base. The animal is powerfully built and well-modelled throughout. These figures are comparatively well known in the Late Period: the extract presented below provides more detailed information. Condition is excellent. Reference:Antiquities from the Collection of Christos G. Bastis, catalogue of the exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1987, no. 26, illus.For a related example cf. Carol Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p. 31, fig. 41f. See also Gifts of the Nile, no. 133, pp. 130and 232 (Béhague Collection, no. 88 ), about which the author notes, "it is difficult to identify which of the hypostases of the ram deity this image represents. It might be associated with the cult of the god known simply as the 'Ram of Mendes'... In the context of that cult, each head represents a specific ba, a complex concept that might be translated as a powered manifestation of a god or a natural force like the wind. At Mendes, in this particular instance, the hypostases of the Ram god included the Ba of Osiris (hereafter), the Ba of Geb (earth), the Ba of Shu (sky) and the Ba of Ra (life). Elsewhere the four-headed ram is associated with Osiris and Re as well as with other deities. Ba is also the name of the ram in ancient Egyptian, undoubtedly mimicking the animal's bleat."Provenance:Private Collection, New York. - (X.0735)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 10.825" (27.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian antiquities Medium: bronze

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 10.825" (27.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian antiquities Medium: bronze   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1000 BC to 650 BC Dimensions: 10.5" (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Dynasty XXI-XXV Medium: Bronze This remarkably large  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1000 BC to 650 BC Dimensions: 10.5" (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Dynasty XXI-XXV Medium: Bronze This remarkably large image of Osiris, Lord of the Westerners, depicts the god in his characteristically tightly-fitting costume which is meant to recall mummy bandages tightly wrapped around the body in order to reveal its forms beneath. Both of the god’s fisted hands protrude from beneath these bandages which are placed on his abdomen with their knuckles touching. These hands originally held the crook and flail, traditional agricultural implements with which Osiris was associated. His accessories include a plaited false beard with a curved end and the tall, White Crown fronted by a uraeus, the body of which snakes its way along the front. The hollow eye sockets were, apparently, originally inlaid.Our statuette is in a remarkably excellent state of preservation and, to judge from its large size and style, can be dated to the Third Intermediate Period. This was an epoch during Egypt’s long history when the art of casting statuettes in bronze reach an apogee of technical perfection. Never before nor after were the ancient Egyptians to cast such technically accomplished, large scale metal sculptures. Their proficiency was so-well regarded that the ancient Greeks adopted the technology of casting bronze in the lost wax method from the Egyptians during the very period in which our example was cast. This was the period as well in which the cult of Osiris, as the consort of the goddess Isis, likewise rose to prominence. Sanctuaries dedicated to his honor at Karnak such as the Lake Edifice of Taharqa and the Temple of Osiris-Heka-Djed are still tangible reminders of the prominence of his cult during this time.References:Robert Steven Bianchi, “Egyptian Metal Statuary of the Third Intermediate Period (Circa 1070-656 BC), from Its Egyptian Antecedents to Its Samian Examples,” in The J. Paul Getty Museum, Small Bronze Sculptures of the Ancient World (Malibu 1990), pages 61-84.- (LO.1235)   « Less

Origin: Egpyt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 22.25" (56.5cm) high x 27.20" (69.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art A late 4th/Early 5th Century AD  More »

Origin: Egpyt Circa: 4 th Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 22.25" (56.5cm) high x 27.20" (69.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art A late 4th/Early 5th Century AD Coptic Textile panel in tapestry weave, with warp of natural linen and weft of various shades of brown, green, purple, red, and deep blue, the central element depicting the bust of a youth wearing a garment passing over his left shoulder and holding a duck in his arms, the border made in the early 20th Century of several disconnected Coptic textile medallions, probably from the same hanging as the figure, containing leafage and running lions and dogs. - (SP.111)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1940 BC to 1750 BC Dimensions: 9.75" (24.8cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Wood Condition: Very Fine This offering  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1940 BC to 1750 BC Dimensions: 9.75" (24.8cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Wood Condition: Very Fine This offering bearer was designed to accompany her 12th dynasty “master” into the afterlife. This period of Egyptian history is characterised by notable feats of architecture and engineering such as the creation of a canal through the Wadi Tumilat, and various temples of considerable note. It also witnessed important artistic achievements including the creation of numerous papyri that have gone on to define most of what we know about the Middle Kingdom. The kingdom moved from Thebes to somewhere near the Faiyum Oasis at this time, and was renamed Amenemhat-itj-tawy. Diplomatic relations were established with Byblos and various Aegean communities, while military missions were sent to Nubia, the Levant and up the Nile to the Third Cataract and beyond.The cultural palimpsest of the 12th dynasty was the most strident of the Middle Kingdom dynasties, which – in turn – was heavily reliant upon Old Kingdom traditions. Burial practices during this period were traditionally flamboyant, with food, drink, furniture, jewellery and a full cast of slaves, assistants and other members of staff accompanying the deceased into the afterlife. The current piece represents a bearer; female bearers did work in the homes of rich Egyptians as maids and culinary assistant, perhaps with other duties in certain cases as suggested by her pose and raiment.She is here represented as a polychrome wooden figure, carrying nutriments for her lord and master. She is wearing a simple white linen dress to the mid-calf, draped off her left shoulder and leaving her right breast exposed. She also wears a pair of grey-silver armlets, one on each wrist, and her hair carefully coiffed around her ears and draped down to her breasts. She carries a live duck by the wings in her right hand, and her left supports a wickerwork basket – presumably containing food – borne upon her head. Her face is serene and placid, with detailing in black paint around the eyes, with the traditional kohl elongation towards the sides.Like most societies, Egypt operated on the basis of conspicuous consumption – this is amply evident from the fact that they created some of the ancient world’s most flamboyant architecture. Unusually, however, they continued this principle into the hereafter. It is hard to overestimate Egypt’s preoccupation with death; the Book of the Dead was, after all, their main religious treatise, while much of their iconography and social stratification was based upon what happened after one died. As a result, the most wealthy and influential people manifested their uniqueness and proximity to the pharaohs (themselves gods, in the eyes of their people) by making as much of an impact as possible with grave furniture and funeral preparations. A piece such as this would have been enormously expensive and exclusive, and would only have accompanied a very high status burial. This is a truly spectacular and beautiful piece of ancient art. - (SP.642 (LSO))   « Less