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_900x900.jpg "Egyptian Wooden Cow Giving Birth Diorama with Two Figures")
_200x200.jpg "Egyptian Wooden Cow Giving Birth Diorama with Two Figures")
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LOT 0014
Egyptian Wooden Cow Giving Birth Diorama with Two Figures
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 11TH-12TH DYNASTY, 2023-1862 B.C.
3 3/4 - 6 1/4 in. (113 grams total, 9.5-16 cm).
Comprising three figures to represent a calving scene: a standing cow or other quadruped giving birth to its young, its head, neck and forelegs emerging from the mother's rear, both with a black and white speckled coat; a standing male figure with articulated arms and pierced hands, wearing a kilt and cropped wig and with stylised facial detailing; a kneeling figure also with articulated arms, open-palm hands, wearing a kilt and cropped wig, stylised facial features; extensive remains of polychrome pigment. [3]
ProvenanceFrom an early 20th century Home Counties collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11597-199209.
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. Barker, G., Preparing for Eternity: Funerary models and wall scenes from the Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdoms, Oxford, 2022, p.113 figure 4.2, for a near-identical calving cow figure, possibly from Meir (now in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, inv. no. 910.18.16.1-3); cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession numbers 2021.41.170 and 11.150.5, for similar human and animal figures of this date.
FootnotesSuch models would have been deposited in tombs; the purpose of such a scene was probably to evoke the season of spring, when calves were born, and the floodplain where farmers lived and raised their livestock.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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LOT 0014
Egyptian Wooden Cow Giving Birth Diorama with Two Figures
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
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Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Mainly annular beads in various shades with tubular beads to one section. 12.6 grams, 104 cm
From an old English deceased estate. Acquired on the Yorkshire art market in the early 1990s. Property of a London, UK, collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Egyptian Small Head with Wig
Ptolemaic Period, 331-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Formed as a small rounded head with filet or diadem to the brow, pert facial features. 54 grams, 44 mm
Antoni Sikorski collection, London, formed between the 1950s and 1970s. with Chiswick Auctions, 11 May 2016, [Part]. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Although worn, the narrow diadem and curly hair are reminiscent of portraits of Ptolemaic priests, such as Pakhom of Dendera (Bothmer, B.V., Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, New York, 1960, pp. 178-179, pls. 128 and 129, 343); Spier, J., Potts, T., and Cole, S.E. (eds.), Beyond the Nile: Egypt and the classical world, Los Angeles, 2018, p. 169 no. 101. -
Egyptian Hardstone Menat Amulet Group
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Lapis lazuli, carnelian, and schist (?) menat amulets, each with a distinctive keyhole shape and broad ribbed bale. 5.38 grams total, 20-22 mm
From a private collection acquired by the previous owner's father in the 1950s. Ex TimesAncient, Bristol, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a previous catalogue entry. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The menat was a counterpoise that hung at the back of a heavy ornamental collar and was closely associated with the goddess Hathor. Amulets representing the counterpoise were thought to bring good luck, protect against evil spirits, and safeguard the wearer in the afterlife. Their Hathoric connection symbolised fertility and good health for women while representing virility for men.
