Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0460
Egyptian Limestone Head of a Priest
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 332-31 B.C. OR LATER
8 in. (1.8 kg total, 20 cm including stand).
With shaven head, finely modelled facial features, lined forehead; mounted on a custom-made stand.
Provenance
with J.J. Klejman, Madison Avenue, New York, USA, 1960s.
UK collection, acquired from the above, 1960s.
Literature
Cf. Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp.138-140, no. 108, pls.100-101, figs.267-269, 272, for a similarly realistic portrait head with a lined brow.
Footnotes
The heads of priests in Egypt were customarily shaven for reasons of ritual purity.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Egyptian Blue Glazed Shabti for Son of Ta-heb
30th Dynasty, 380-343 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
Composed as a mummiform figure with tripartite wig and hands crossed at the chest, holding a pick, hoe, and seed bag; a T-shaped panel of hieroglyphic text reading: sḥḏ wsỉr tꜢ.... ms.n tꜢ ḥb mꜢʾ ḫrw, ‘The illuminated, the Osiris, Ta…. born to Ta-heb true of voice’. 36 grams, 10.7 cm
Acquired in Egypt in 1933. Ex Alexander Cameron (1897-1994) collection. -
Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask of a Lady
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
Hollow-formed with finely modelled facial details, dark hair parted in the middle and drawn back to each side with a ringlet before each ear; narrow brow with painted eyebrows, lentoid eyes with dark irises; narrow nose and small pursed lips; impressions of bandaging on the rear where attached to mummy. 777 grams, 20 cm high
From a London, UK, collection. Formerly with a central London auction house. -
Egyptian Gold Bes Amulet
Late New Kingdom-Third Intermediate Period, 1070-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
Mask of Bes with tall plumed headdress, vertical bar to the reverse. 3.6 grams, 18 mm
From an early 20th century French collection.
Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his rather fearful appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children. He was also believed to provide protection from snakes.