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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.
ProvenanceFrom 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.
FootnotesNeith 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.
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Opening Bid: £350
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Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Phoenician Terracotta Juglet
Circa 5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Narrow in profile with tapering body and flared foot, tubular neck with strap handle to rear. 97 grams, 94 mm
From North Africa, UK. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. Accompanied by an old handwritten dealer's tag. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
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Very Large Egyptian Wooden Head of Osiris
30th Dynasty-Ptolemaic Period, 380-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
Carved in the round head with plaster prepared surface; with integral Atef crown ornamented with lateral bronze ostrich plumes and uraeus to the brow; carved facial detailing with broad nose and small mouth; applied bronze braided beard with scrolled tip; ears pierced to accept earrings; mounted on a custom-made stand. 3.62 kg total, 52.5 cm high including stand
Acquired by the family from an antiquities dealer in Egypt, October 1982. Ex Dunkirk Manor, Theescombe, Stroud. Mr F.D. collection, acquired from the above. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12513-231999. 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.
This head likely originates from a large-scale standing figure of the underworld god Osiris. In contrast to the ubiquitous small bronze Osiris figurines found at cult sites throughout Egypt – which were left by pilgrims as votive offerings – large-scale wooden statues are much rarer. Their scarcity is partly due to the fragile nature of wood, which made such statues more susceptible to decay over time, but also because these larger figures were used in more specialised and exclusive ritual contexts. This is evidenced by the significant discovery of a large wooden Osiris statue in a cache of votive objects at Saqqara, associated with a temple shrine. The find suggests that the sizeable image of Osiris played an important role in religious ceremonies in the temple, where it presumably served as the focus of veneration. The Saqqara cache dates no later than the reign of Nectanebo II (360-343 B.C.), whose temple pavement covered it. However, the exact dating of the wooden statue is less certain, with estimates ranging from the New Kingdom to the 26th Dynasty.
