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LOT 0030
Egyptian Limestone Bas-Relief Panel of Ptah Presiding Over the Smelting of Metals
OLD KINGDOM, 5TH DYNASTY, 2498-2345 B.C.
21 in. (21.35 kg total, 53.5 cm wide including stand).
This expertly carved high-relief scene depicts three male figures with short hairstyles, each wearing a short kilt tied at the waist; the left and central figures carry a small furnace by curved handles, preparing to smelt copper; the central figure also holds a metal poker in his free hand; the figure on the left supports a large container at chest level with one hand; finely rendered hieroglyphic inscriptions in front of each figure record a dialogue among the three metalworkers; the leftmost figure, facing the others, declares “Ptah could not have done better”; the central figure responds with three lines of text “Ptah loves him to pour (into) the brazier of the flame”; the inscription before the rightmost figure reads “copper of the baskets”; together, the second and third texts may be interpreted as “Ptah would love him to pour copper from the baskets into the furnace”; the composition likely formed part of a larger scene illustrating metalworking activities; supplied with a custom-made stand.
Provenancewith Toufic Arakji, Hamburg, by circa 1980.
Private collection, acquired from the above, circa 1980-1994.
with Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities and Islamic Art, 8 June 1994, no.23.
Private collection, 1994-2010, acquired at the above sale.
with David Aaron, London, UK, 2010-2011.
with Daniel Katz Gallery, London, UK.
UK private collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Sylvie Caroff.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00142449.
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.
For a comparable scene, see Hayes, W.C., The Scepter of Egypt, vol. I, p. 98, where a similar composition is described from the tomb of Re-em-kuy.
FootnotesThe mention of Ptah – patron god of craftsmen – links this piece to Memphis, suggesting it came from the tomb of a high-ranking official or priest.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0030
Egyptian Limestone Bas-Relief Panel of Ptah Presiding Over the Smelting of Metals
Estimate £80,000 - 100,000€92,800 - 116,000 (for guidance only)$108,000 - 135,000 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Terracotta Fragment of Man Holding Elongated Phallus
Ptolemaic Period, 323-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Plano-convex in section with lateral folded legs, lower end of the sidelock at the shoulder, phallus extended across the body. 383 grams, 13 cm
Acquired in London, UK, 1980. From the collection of G.M.R.H., London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Hardstone Eye of Horus with Recumbent Lion
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Wedjat-eye amulet with reclining lioness to the top, pierced for suspension. 6.79 grams, 29 mm
From an early 20th century collection. Ex London, UK, gallery. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The wedjat-eye and lioness are potent, often intertwined symbols in ancient Egyptian mythology. The wedjat, representing Horus’s healed eye, signifies protection and healing, while the lioness—linked to the goddesses Sekhmet, Bastet, and Wadjet—embodies power and fierce defence as the “Eye of Ra”. Together in amulets, as in Egyptian art, they convey healing, protection, and strength. Sometimes the name of a specific goddess was inscribed on the back of the amulet, though here the recumbent lioness serves as the divine symbol. -
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Egyptian Basalt Statue Base For The Priest Hor-sa-aseti
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,000
Fragment of the rectangular base of a statue, preserving an integral pair of feet on the upper surface; lower end of dorsal column inscription at the rear with two hieroglyphs; below, a horizontal band of hieroglyphic text extending onto both short sides including part of an offering formula for the ḥm-nṯr ı͗wnw-smꜤ ḥr-sꜢ-Ꜣstı͗ (the priest [of the] Southern Heliopolis [i.e., Thebes], Hor-sa-aseti); old collectors' labels on the underside; supplied with a custom-made wooden display stand. 1.37 kg, 12.9 cm (4.08 kg total, 25 cm including stand)
Private New York, USA, collection, 1970. Ex Adrian Burns, Columus, Ohio, USA, from an old estate collection. Ex Art for Eternity gallery, New York, USA. Ex Art Primativo, Auction 16, 2001, no.430. Ex private New York, USA, collection. Private collection, London, UK. 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.12832-240779. 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.
