LOT 0005

Large Egyptian Bronze Statue of the God Ihy with Gold Necklace and Silver Inlaid Eyes

LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.

9 7/8 in. (899 grams total, 25 cm including stand).

Depicted nude in an advancing pose; silver inlaid eyes, braided sidelock of youth; left hand by his side, drilled to accept a separate element, the other outstretched at a right angle to his body, holding a tapering cylindrical staff, not belonging; he may originally have held a sistrum, an ancient Egyptian percussion instrument, or a menat, both closely associated with the goddess Hathor; here, Ihy wears the Pschent crown with remains of uraeus, and an inlaid gold necklace suspended with an ib pendant around his neck; finely detailed facial features, with engraved Nekhbet vulture with outspread wings at the back of the crown; integral lugs on soles of feet; mounted on a custom-made stand.

From the Singer family collection, Germany, acquired circa 1962.
with A.A.L., Geneva, 1980.
with Christie's, London, 25 April 2015, no.163 [£50,000-£70,000].
Private collection, London, UK.

Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13309-258229.

Cf. the two wooden statues of Ihy found in Tutankhamun's tomb (inv. nos. JE 60731-2), which are depicted holding separately fashioned sistrums. For JE 60732, see Abd Elaziz, M.E.E, 'Royal Offspring Statues Positions in Ancient Egyptian Sculpture in the New Kingdom', JAAUTH Vol.25 No. 1, 2023, p. 256, Fig. 17; for a discussion of the god, see Hoenes, S., 'Ihi', in: Lexikon der Ägyptologie III, Wiesbaden, 1980, cols. 125-126.

Ihy was an Egyptian god associated with music, joy, and ritual celebrations, particularly as the divine child of Hathor and of Horus or Ra. He is typically depicted as a youthful figure, often naked or lightly clothed, wearing a sidelock of youth and carrying a sistrum or menat, both percussion instruments closely connected with ritual performances in Hathor's cult, especially at the temples of Dendera and Edfu. His name is generally understood to mean 'the musician' or 'the one who plays music,' although it may also mean 'calf', a reference to his relationship with the cow-goddess Hathor.
Bronze statuettes of Ihy, such as this example, were probably produced as votive offerings dedicated in temples, especially those devoted to Hathor. Worshippers may have commissioned such figures in the hope of obtaining divine favour, protection, fertility, healing, or participation in the blessings linked with music and festivity. Some examples may also have served as cult images used in temple ceremonies or as protective objects placed in domestic or funerary settings.