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LOT 0010
Egyptian Stone Stela with Pharaoh, Isis, Horus and Thoth
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.
21 5/8 in. (19.45 kg total, 55 cm including stand).
Round-topped stela with decoration on two registers; the lunette, featuring a winged sun disc with pendant uraei; the main panel with a frieze in sunk relief depicting the pharaoh wearing the double crown, facing left offering the hieroglyphic symbol for 'fields'; a goddess stands behind him, possibly Isis, wearing a tight-fitting robe and sporting a tall two-plumed headdress, with one hand raised in praise; facing the pharaoh is the falcon-headed god, possibly Horus or Her-wer, wearing a double-crown, and behind him stands the ibis-headed Thoth wearing the Atef crown, both gods hold a was-sceptre; repaired, mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid-1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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 search certificate number no.12200-222172.
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.
Cf. Bosticco, S., Museo archaeologico di Firenze: le stele egiziane di epoca tarda Rome, 1972, no. 58, for an arch-topped stela depicting the pharaoh offering the 'field' symbol to the gods Her-wer and Sobek.
FootnotesThe overall tripartite composition is comparable to numerous stelae of the Ptolemaic Period and can be dated to the 3rd-2nd century B.C. The decorative lunette and/or sky bands and bold sunk relief winged sun disc are characteristic of this period, as is the fringed detailing of the female’s garment. The offering of the ‘field’ symbol is also a frequent depiction of the stelae of this period, which can be understood as a ‘catch-all’ device representing an offering of all the produce from the fields. Such stelae were often produced as stock products to which clients would have their names and other details added. Therefore, the stela is likely an example of one awaiting purchase. After the purchase, the hieroglyphic labels would be added to the figurative tableau, and a dedicatory text would be carved into the plain rectangle in the lower part. Sometimes, however, it appears that a purchaser could not afford the additional expense of a professionally engraved inscription, and so would scratch a short dedication in the lower panel as seen, for example, in the stela for Horudja from the Delta site of Tanis and now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. no. AF 11682).
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0010
Egyptian Stone Stela with Pharaoh, Isis, Horus and Thoth
Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,900
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Egyptian Silver Horus Serekh Amulet
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
An element from a necklace in the form of Horus in falcon form sitting atop the palace façade motif (serekh). 0.71 grams, 10 mm
From an early 20th century collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Examples of this distinctive motif can be traced back to the very beginning of Egyptian history. It represents the recessed niches of royal and religious architecture, and served as a device to contain the Horus name of the king. The most notable example of jewellery incorporating this motif is the elaborate bracelet found in the tomb of King Djer at Abydos, which is composed of alternating turquoise and gold falcon-topped serekhs. Similar examples of this element occur as late as the Ptolemaic Period. -
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Very Large Egyptian Wooden Head of Osiris
30th Dynasty-Ptolemaic Period, 380-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
Carved in the round head with plaster prepared surface; with integral Atef crown ornamented with lateral bronze ostrich plumes and uraeus to the brow; carved facial detailing with broad nose and small mouth; applied bronze braided beard with scrolled tip; ears pierced to accept earrings; mounted on a custom-made stand. 3.62 kg total, 52.5 cm high including stand
Acquired by the family from an antiquities dealer in Egypt, October 1982. Ex Dunkirk Manor, Theescombe, Stroud. Mr F.D. collection, acquired from the above. 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.12513-231999. 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.
This head likely originates from a large-scale standing figure of the underworld god Osiris. In contrast to the ubiquitous small bronze Osiris figurines found at cult sites throughout Egypt – which were left by pilgrims as votive offerings – large-scale wooden statues are much rarer. Their scarcity is partly due to the fragile nature of wood, which made such statues more susceptible to decay over time, but also because these larger figures were used in more specialised and exclusive ritual contexts. This is evidenced by the significant discovery of a large wooden Osiris statue in a cache of votive objects at Saqqara, associated with a temple shrine. The find suggests that the sizeable image of Osiris played an important role in religious ceremonies in the temple, where it presumably served as the focus of veneration. The Saqqara cache dates no later than the reign of Nectanebo II (360-343 B.C.), whose temple pavement covered it. However, the exact dating of the wooden statue is less certain, with estimates ranging from the New Kingdom to the 26th Dynasty. -
Egyptian Multi-Stranded Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Multi-stranded designer necklace composed of beads of mainly annular and cylindrical types; restrung. 26 grams, 72 cm
Acquired before 1979. From the private collection of Mr F. A., South Kensington, London, UK; thence by descent 2014. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
For thousands of years, artisans in Egypt created vibrant ceramics to echo the beauty of rare jewels. These ornaments were created with almost every material, colour, and texture imaginable and they come from across Egypt and beyond: vibrant blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, glossy black obsidian from Turkey, and aqua-green turquoise from the Sinai. They were worn in life and, after death, they served as precious ornamentation for mummies.
