LOT 0036

Egyptian Limestone Relief with Pharaoh Making Offerings

PTOLEMAIC-ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 332 B.C.-300 A.D.

17 7/8 in. (18.4 kg total, 45.5 cm including stand).

Rectangular relief showing the pharaoh wearing the pschent crown of Upper and Lower Egypt and presenting the hieroglyphic sign of a field (sḫt) in his outstretched palms towards the now barely discernible figure of a standing deity holding a long sceptre; an empty cartouche above and a column of worn hieroglyphic text below; mounted on a custom-made display stand.

Acquired 1970s-1996.
Private collection, Switzerland.
with a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12943-244661.

Cf. Mariette, A., Dendérah: description générale du grand temple de cette ville, vol. III, Paris, 1871, pl. 48e, for a similar scene.

Scenes showing the pharaoh offering various items, including fields, to one or more deities are found in temples across Egypt. The empty cartouche is a feature most often seen in inscriptions from Ptolemaic and Roman-period temples, reflecting uncertainty over the holder of power in the country.