LOT 0555

Egyptian Alabaster Baboon with Dedication to Queen Tiye

NEW KINGDOM, 1184-1152 B.C.

6 in. (1.06 kg, 15.4 cm).

Carved alabaster figure of a baboon, crouching with his forepaws resting on his knees, tail curled around from the rear; cartouche dedicated to Queen Tiye at the chest as a later addition.

From the private collection of Dr Athanasios Ghertsos, Zurich, by at least 1970.
Private collection of Hermann A. Schlögl (1932-2023), Basel.

Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00261724.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13073-248325.

Exhibited: Das Tier in der Antike, Archäologischen Institut der Universität Zürich, 21 September-17 November 1974, no. 31.

Published: Kaplony, P., Denkmäler der Prinzessin Nefrure und der Königin Timienese in der Sammlung A. Ghertsos, Revue d’Égyptologie, 22 (1970), p.100; Bloesch, H., Das Tier in der Antike, Archäologischen Institut der Universität Zürich, 21 September-17 November 1974, exhibition catalogue, no.31, p.10, pl.7; Schlögl, H. A. and Buxtorf, R. Kunst und Handwerk aus Ägyptens Goldener Zeit, Wiesbaden, 2018, pp.37-38.

Cf. Pio, H., The significance of the Baboon motif in the funerary art of the New Kingdom, Stellenboch, 2018.

In ancient Egypt, baboons were sacred, representing wisdom, the moon, and the underworld, linked to gods like Thoth and Babi, often depicted greeting the sun or guarding tombs, and were imported, mummified as offerings, and used as powerful religious symbols despite their often harsh captive conditions. The aforementioned Tiye is the wife of Sethnakht, the founder of the 20th Dynasty, and not to be confused with the wife of Amenhotep III. All monuments bearing her name originate from Abydos, where her son Ramesses III built a temple for his parents.