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LOT 0054
Romano-Egyptian Painted Portrait on Linen
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
22 7/8 x 24 3/4 in. (4.3 kg, 58 x 63 cm including frame).
Encaustic painting on thin linen fabric, upper part of the funeral shroud with half-length representation of the deceased, representing the bust of a young man in the guise of mummiform Osiris holding implements of his divinity, black hair, wearing a gilt broad collar (maniakion) and netting, pink dress ornamented with rosettes, traces of halo in white pigment; set in a glazed frame.
ProvenanceCollection of the estate of Patti Cadby Birch (1923-2007), New York, USA.
with Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities, 5 June 2008, sale no.8452, no.105.
European private collection, acquired thereafter.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00014603.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12612-234638.
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. parallels in Parlasca, K., Mumienporträts und verwandte Danmäler, Wiesbaden, 1966, pls.13,1 and 2; Parlasca, K., Frenz, H.G., Ritratti di Mummie, Repertorio d’arte dell’Egitto Greco-Romano, Roma, 2003, pl.N, no.693: no.771, p.172.
FootnotesFayum portraits, painted on wood or linen, applied to the mummies of the Graeco-Roman period, are one of the most wonderful legacies that the koiné of the Graeco-Roman world has left us. Due to the favourable climate enhancing the state of preservation, these encaustic paintings have left us an almost photographic testimony of the faces of the inhabitants of Roman Egypt. The realistic portrait shows here the idea of the deceased as Osiris. This idea, already existing in the Ptolemaic Period regardless of the gender of the person represented, continued to exist in the Graeco-Roman period. The deceased is undoubtedly a young man, beardless, with black and slightly frizzy hair. A similar male portrait with the same type of clothing, the attributes: nimbus and the identifying elements of Osiris can be found in a portrait now in Paris (Parlasca, 2003, no.771, pl.172,3).
Patti Cadby Birch (1923-2007) was a prominent American philanthropist and collector, known for her significant contributions to the arts. A patron of institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, she supported numerous exhibitions and acquisitions, particularly in the fields of antiquities and Islamic art. Works from her esteemed collection have been widely exhibited and are held in several major museum collections.
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LOT 0054
Romano-Egyptian Painted Portrait on Linen
Estimate £30,000 - 40,000€34,800 - 46,400 (for guidance only)$40,500 - 54,000 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Stone Tyet Amulet
Third Intermediate Period-Late Period, circa 743-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Finely carved tyet amulet with incised internal detailing and ribbed suspension loop at the top. 38.9 grams, 81 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The tyet amulet was associated with the goddess Isis and was often referred to as the 'knot' or 'girdle' of Isis. Some believe that it represents a bandage used to absorb menstrual blood. It was commonly placed within the mummy wrappings on the upper torso of the deceased, with the belief that it would invoke Isis' protection and safeguard the body, thus ensuring their rebirth in the afterlife. -
Egyptian Alabaster Kohl Pot with Later Hieroglyphs
Second Intermediate Period, 1650-1550 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Comprising a squat piriform body with a wide everted rim, a band of later hieroglyphs beneath the shoulder: ḳmꜢ.t n bꜢw ı͗wnw nfrw.s (You have gathered the souls (i.e. divine powers) of Heliopolis—her beauties). 208 grams, 55 mm high
Ex late London, UK, gentleman, 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The inscription on what is a cosmetic vessel could be interpreted as “You acquire the powers of Heliopolis, source of her beauty”; “her beauties” likely references either the woman using the vessel or perhaps the divine beauty imparted by the contents. -
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Egyptian Bronze Statuette of Isis Seated with Young Horus
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Isis enthroned wearing a cow's horn headdress with a solar disc, suckling the infant Horus on her lap. 39 grams, 10.7 cm
From the property of a lady since the early to mid 20th century. From the private collection of Mr M.L. since circa 2005. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with aspects of fertility and motherhood and is often depicted in various artworks seated in a nursing pose with her son Horus on her lap, as here.
