LOT 0019

Egyptian Bronze Statue of Neith

LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.

5 in. (162 grams total, 12.7 cm including stand).

Modelled in the round in a striding pose wearing a tight-fitting robe and sporting the Red (deshret) Crown of Lower Egypt; eyes inlaid with silver, an elaborate ornamental collar to the chest; the right arm hanging at the side, the left arm bent at the elbow with hand clenched to accept a staff, possibly a papyrus sceptre; mounted on a custom-made stand.

From a 1940s collection based on the base and remains of label verso.
From the Keane private collection, Kent, UK.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12479-229477.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Cf. Daressy, G., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire N° 38001-39384 Statues de divinités, Cairo, 1906, pl. XLVIII no.38954, for a complete example with an elaborate collar; Tiribilli, E., The bronze figurines of the Petrie Museum from 2000 BC to AD 400, GHP Egyptology 28, London, 2018, p.117, for a discussion of this statuette type.

Neith is one of the oldest ancient Egyptian deities with roots in the Early Dynastic Period. She is often depicted as a woman wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and carrying a sceptre, symbolising her divine power. As a warrior and mother figure, Neith embodies creation, wisdom, and warfare. Her cult rose in prominence during the Ramesside Period as she became linked with the sun god. The primary centre of her worship was the city of Sais in the western Nile Delta, which became a significant religious and political hub during the 26th Dynasty (664–525 B.C.). Kings of this era claimed her as their protector and identified with her in royal titles.