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Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 664-30 B.C.
7 1/4 in. (116 grams total, 18.5 cm wide).
Naturalistically carved ibis head from a composite statuette, with carefully detailed beak and eyes; traces of gesso and gilding remain; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
PROVENANCE:
American private collection, New York, acquired in London before 2000.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Waziry, M., Vestiges of Ancient Egypt,The Bubasteion Votive Cachette at Saqqara, Houston, 2023, pp.110-11, no. 48, for a complete example showing the wooden rod supporting the back of the head.
FOOTNOTES:
The ibis was sacred to the god Thoth, who was revered for his association with knowledge, writing, and healing. The god also acted as the recorder of the final judgment, which determined whether the deceased had lived a life of virtue. Vast numbers of ibises were mummified in religious centres such as Saqqara and Tuna el-Gebel, where they were offerings to the god and interred in extensive catacombs.
