Carved in a typical pose, sitting on its haunches with its tail curving around the right side, its front paws resting on its knees and protruding beneath its thick furry pelt, with incised detailing, its feet either side of the phallus, the head with bulbous, striated hair on either side, chipped, snout restored; seated on a high shrine-shaped plinth with squared front and rounded back, featuring a cavetto cornice and roll detailing on the upper part.

PROVENANCE:
From a deceased American estate, 1970-1989.
with Bonham's, London, 28 October 2009, no.35.

Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonham's catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12368-226706.
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.

LITERATURE:
Cf. seated baboon of brown quartzite, Kozloff, A.P. & Bryan, B.M., Egypt's Dazzling Sun, Cleveland, 1992, fig 36, p.227.

FOOTNOTES:
The baboon was an animal manifestation of the god Thoth, the patron deity of Hermopolis Magna, who was revered for his association with knowledge, writing, and healing.