Egyptian Bronze Striding Figure of Montu the Falcon God of War

LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C.

9 in. (10 in.) (553 grams, 22.7 cm high (639 grams total, 25.5 cm high including stand)).

With falcon head, wearing a shendyt kilt and a tripartite striated wig, surmounted by two ostrich plumes and fronted by a sun disc and double uraei, wearing a collar and holding a staff with a falcon-headed terminal emerging from a papyrus umbrel; standing on an integral rectangular plinth with a single line of inscription that probably ran around all sides, of which a few hieroglyphs remain, the front reading: '..? Lord (of)' and the left side reading 'Thebes, (that) he may give life..', the last hieroglyph on the front side and the first three on the left give the familiar epithet of Montu, 'Lord of Thebes' which is followed by the request from the statue’s dedicator for Montu to bestow life (and perhaps other benefits) upon him/her; accompanied by a custom-made tiered display base.

Provenance

Japanese collection, prior to 1980.
AAL Geneva, Switzerland, 1980.
British collection since 1999.
with Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 2 February 2017, no.78 (20,000-22,000 Euros).

Accompanied by copies of the relevant Pierre Bergé & Associés catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12132-213615.

Literature

Cf. The British Museum, museum number EA60339, for a similar figure believed to possibly date to the Late Period; Musée du Louvre, inv.no. AF 588.

Footnotes

The statuette was most likely an offering made at one of Montu’s cult centres in the Theban region to ensure for the dedicator the good favour of the god. Commensurate with his warlike nature, Montu can sometimes be depicted holding a khepesh sickle-bladed sword, yet here he holds a rarer attribute: a carefully detailed staff with a falcon-headed terminal emerging from a papyrus umbel. This almost certainly
symbolises Montu’s association with Re – the Heliopolitan sun-god also depicted with a falcon head - as his Upper Egyptian counterpart.

CONDITION

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LOT 0025