Egyptian Alabaster Trussed Duck

OLD KINGDOM, 6TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 2345-2181 B.C.

4 in. (890 grams total, 10 cm wide including stand).

Carved in the round with the head and neck laid backwards along the spine; mounted on a custom-made stand.

Provenance

Acquired before 1970.
Private French collection.
with Bonhams, New Bond Street, London, 29 April 2009, lot 58.
Ex Middle Eastern royal family, living in the UK, 2013-2017.

Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.099505.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000149104.
Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12942-245247.

Literature

Cf. S. D'Auria, et al, Mummies and Magic - The Funerary Arts of Ancient Egypt, Boston, 1988, p.38, fig 25, for examples of model offerings.

Footnotes

In ancient Egypt, the duck (actually the Egyptian goose) was considered a sacred and very popular animal, often depicted in art and associated with symbolic meanings. It was a common bird in the Nile Valley and considered a symbol of fertility, life, and family, which is why it frequently appeared in scenes of daily life and rituals, and in the artworks.

CONDITION

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LOT 0027