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Egyptian | Lots 1-49
Ancient Egyptian | Lots 1-49
1 An Egyptian Light Blue Faience Cup and Lid
LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C. Height 2 1/4 inches (5.6 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Charles Ede, Ltd., London, 27 May 1997 (Inv. no. 3128).
The hieroglyphic inscription on the side of this model cup verifies the contents remaining inside it as ‘henek’ oil, one of seven sacred unguents. $3,000 - 5,000
2 An Egyptian Bronze Oxyrhynchus Fish
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 4 1/4 inches (10.9 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Robin Symes, London, 21 January 1985. $6,000 - 8,000
3 An Egyptian Faience Ushabti for Horoudja
LATE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C. Height 5 inches (13 cm).
Provenance: Private Estate, Connecticut, acquired in the mid-1980s.
$800 - 1,200
4 An Egyptian Limestone Fragment
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 7 1/2 inches (19 cm).
Provenance: Private Collection (Mr. M), Belgium. Private Collection (M.M.), Paris, prior to 2007.
Published: J.D. Cahn, Cahn’s Quarterly 4/2013, 2013, p. 6. $6,000 - 8,000
5 A Romano-Egyptian Faience Inkwell
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D. Diameter 2 1/2 inches (7 cm). Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Private Collection, France, 1970s; thence by descent. Rupert Wace Ancient Art, London, 2013 (Rupert Wace Ancient Art 13, no. 24, p. 27).
For similar examples, see Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Inv. nos. 00.3665 & 00.4969.
$3,000 - 5,000
11 An Egyptian Faience Scarab
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Length 1 inch (3 cm).
Provenance: Mr. & Mrs. Goddard Dubois, acquired in Egypt in 1900-1907; thence by descent.
Exhibited: California, San Diego Museum of Man, 1968.
For a similar example of a faience scarab with a naturalistic underside, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Inv. no. 89.2.398). $1,500 - 2,500 6 An Egyptian Faience Cup
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 11TH-14TH DYNASTY, 2040-1640 B.C. Height 2 inches (5.4 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Samuel-Jean Pozzi (1846-1918), France [by repute]. Acquired by the current owner in 1985. $5,000 - 7,000
12 An Egyptian Faience Frog
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, AMARNA PERIOD, REIGN OF AKHENATEN, 1353-1335 B.C. Length 3/8 inches (.95 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Charles Ede, Ltd., London, 21 September 1984.
The underside of the frog is inscribed with a walking ‘NU’ pot, the hieroglyphic symbol for “bring.” The color and material used for this amulet were fabricated in the royal workshops at Amarna during the reign of Akhenaten. For a similar amulet of the same composition, see the Cleveland Museum of Art (Inv. no. 1980.123). $1,000 - 1,500
7 An Egyptian Serpentine Baboon
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 2 3/4 inches (7 cm). Property from the Collection of Dr. Hernan D. Ruf, Pompano Beach, Florida
Provenance: Mathias Komor (1909-1984), New York [based on wood mount with old label and Inv. no. F275]. Robert Thompson, New York. Palmyra Heritage, New York, Robert Thompson Antiquities Collection Part II, 11 March 2018, Lot 224. $8,000 - 10,000
9 An Egyptian Faience Standing Ape
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 304-30 B.C. Height 2 1/2 inches (6.35 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Gawain McKinley, London, 20 June 1986. $2,500 - 3,500 8 An Egyptian Faience Monkey
LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C. Height 2 inches (5.3 cm). Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain (1852-1929), France, acquired in the early 1900s in Heliopolis; thence by descent to his grandson, Édouard-Jean Empain, 3rd Baron Empain (1937-2018). Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2012. $600 - 800
10 An Egyptian Faience Sekhmet
THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, 21ST-22ND DYNASTY, 1070-712 B.C. Height 3 11/16 inches (9.1 cm). Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Private Collection, France. Royal Athena Galleries, New York, January 2006 (Art of the Ancient World, Vol. XVII, no. 83, p. 87). $1,000 - 1,500
13 An Egyptian Faience Ushabti for Horiraa
Provenance: Deaccessioned from the Egyptian Museum of Berlin, Germany [by repute]. Ilse Scwaiger Collection (1905-2005), Berlin, Germany, prior to 1940. Lempertz, Brussels, Tribal Arts, 30 March 2006, Lot 2. Private Collection (U.H.), Germany.
Published: J.F. Aubert, Statuettes égyptiennes, Paris, 1974, p. 220 G. Janes, Shabtis: A Private View, Paris, 2002, pp. 193-194.
This ushabti was made for Overseer of the Antechamber, Horiraa. An important court official during the 26th Dynasty, Reign of Pharaoh Necho II, he was tutor to the pharaoh’s successor Psamtik II. Also referred to as Neferibrenefer (Psamtik II is beautiful), his intact tomb was discovered in 1830 just south of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. The tomb contained hundreds of ushabtis which have been characterized by their grey-green color and fine modelling. Although many of these ushabtis can be found in major American and European Museums today, few are as fine as the one seen here. $20,000 - 30,000
14 An Egyptian Faience Djed Pillar
LATE PERIOD, 664-343 B.C. Height 3 3/4 inches (9.4 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Collection of Mr. Richard James, Collingswood, New Jersey, acquired in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Private Collection, New York, acquired prior to 2005.
$1,500 - 2,500
15 An Egyptian Bronze and Alabaster Ibis
LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C. Length 4 inches (10.4 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Private Collection, UK, acquired prior to 2001. $2,500 - 3,500 16 An Egyptian Faience Sekhmet
LATE PERIOD, 664-343 B.C. Height 4 1/2 inches (11.4 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Private Collection, San Fernando Valley, California. Michael Malter, Encino, California, Ancient Art From Around the World, 15 February 2009, Lot 43.
$1,200 - 1,800 17 An Egyptian Faience Tawaret
LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C. Height 2 3/4 inches (7 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Cameo Corner, London, UK. Bonhams, London, Antiquities, 26 October 2007, Lot 39.
$1,000 - 2,000
19 An Egyptian Tell el-Yahudiya-Ware Juglet
MIDDLE BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 1500 B.C. Height 5 5/16 inches (14 cm). Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Roger Khawam (1922-2016), Paris, France. Acquired by the present owner from the above in 1999. $2,000 - 3,000 18 An Egyptian Lapis Lazuli Ovoid Jar
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD, 3500-3300 B.C. Height 2 inches (5.3 cm). Property from a California Private Collection
Provenance: Ramses Arts, New York, 30 August 2018. Tom Swope, Hudson, New York. Stair Gallery, Hudson, New York, East Meets West: Works of Art Across Cultures, 6 August 2020, Lot 39. $2,000 - 3,000
20 An Egyptian Painted Pottery Cylinder Jar
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD, NAGADA II, 3200-3000 B.C. Height 9 inches (23 cm).
Provenance: Art Market, Europe, prior to 1980s. Private Collection, Michigan, 1980s-1990s; thence by descent. $2,500 - 4,500
“Do not be taken by a woman with a body of tjehnet.” - Ptahhotep
21 An Egyptian Faience Female Figure
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 12TH DYNASTY, 1991-1783 B.C. Height 5 1/8 inches (13.02 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: The Merrin Gallery, New York, 1990s. Acquired by the current owner from the above.
Exhibited: Cincinnati, Ohio, Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt. Cincinnati Art Museum, 20 October 1996 - 5 January 1997. Brooklyn, New York, Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt. Brooklyn Museum of Art, 21 February 2007 - 18 May 2007.
Published: A.K. Capel et al., Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt (Exhibition Catalogue), Vermont, 1996, p. 65, no. 13.
This fetish object belongs to a group of female figures now thought of as Khener-dancers, and is one of the best known examples in private hands. These dancers played an important role in rituals to Hathor, the goddess of music, dance, love, fertility, and resurrection. First discovered in tombs from the Middle Kingdom dating to the 12th Dynasty, these female figures were initially interpreted as “brides of the dead” or concubines. Like the wooden paddle dolls that precede them, over the last century these more naturalistic sculptures have been discovered near temples and domestic dwellings leading to an expanded interpretation of their significance.
Molded and glazed in blue faience with black details, this figure’s sensual curves and bright color conveys sexuality and vitality which are inherent qualities of the goddess Hathor. Her upper body is narrow with arms straight and a close-cropped coiffure, while the lower half is swollen with truncated legs and an exaggerated pubictriangle. The object’s overall shape echoes that of a menat, a sacred symbol of Hathor. The crown of the head is drilled with delicate holes for the insertion of real hair, and the numerous dots and dashes across her thighs and stomach symbolize tattoos. These, too, personify attributes of Hathor. In ancient Egypt, hair was seen as a symbol of resurrection for its ability to regenerate after being cut, and lozenge patterned tattoos were exclusively used by women who wished to amplify their sexual appeal.
The figure is essentially in the nude wearing nothing more than jewelry. Yet even her jewelry and blue skin continue to emphasis fecundity. The hip chain around the waist represents cowrie shells—a vaginal symbol— and the menat necklace with counterpoise around the neck is worn to foster fruitfulness and good health. Called tjehnet by the ancient Egyptians, meaning that which is brilliant or scintillating, faience was often used to describe the attractiveness of a woman’s skin. Indeed, from the Instructions of Ptahhotep, the vizier emphasizes the power of seduction by warning “ do not be taken by a woman with a body of tjehnet.” (R. Bianchi, Gifts of the Nile, p. 25) This exquisite figure embodies the enchanting beauty and fruitfulness that could seduce all who lay their eyes upon her.
For comparative examples, see E.F. Morris, Paddle Dolls and Performance. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 47, 2011, pp. 71–103; F. Friedman et al, Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience (Exhibition Catalogue), New York, 1998, p. 104, and W.C. Hayes, The Scepter of Egypt: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, p. 221. $70,000 - 90,000 Figure in situ at Brooklyn 1997
22 An Egyptian Bronze Hathor Sistrum Terminal
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 3 inches (8 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Royal Athena Gallery, New York, 2000s. $1,800 - 2,200
24 An Egyptian Bronze Winged Isis
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 5 1/2 inches (14 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Private Collection, Germany. Nagel Auction, Stuttgart, Germany, 27 May 2008, Lot 3443.
$8,000 - 12,000
23 An Egyptian Bronze Nefertum
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 7 1/2 inches (19.05 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Collection of Mr. Richard James, Collingswood, New Jersey, acquired in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Private Collection, New York, prior to 2005. $3,000 - 4,000 25 An Egyptian Bronze Osiris with Silver Inlaid Eyes
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Height 6 inches (15.5 cm). Property from a California Private Collection
Provenance: Jean-Philippe Mariaud de Serres, acquired prior to 1983. Christie’s, Paris, Collection of Jean-Philippe Mariaud de Serres, 16-17 February 2011, Lot 195. $3,000 - 5,000
26 An Egyptian Bronze Ptah
LATE PERIOD, CIRCA 664-343 B.C. Height 7 inches (18 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Art Market, London, prior to 1982. [based on inventory label “Christie’s 125 6-5-82”]. $4,000 - 6,000
27 An Egyptian Bronze Isis and Horus
LATE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 646-525 B.C. Height 6 1/4 inches (16 cm).
Provenance: Lark Mason Associates, New York, 2011. Private Collection, New York, acquired in 2013. $8,000 - 12,000 28 An Egyptian Bronze Imhotep with Silver Inlaid Eyes
LATE PERIOD, 664-343 B.C. Height 4 1/4 inches (11 cm). Property from a Midwest Private Collection
Provenance: Royal Athena Galleries, New York, 19 February 2003 (Inv. no. DVG20). $8,000 - 12,000
29 An Egyptian Bronze Cat
LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C. Height 7 1/2 inches (19 cm). Property from the Collection of Dr. Hernan D. Ruf, Pompano Beach, Florida
Provenance: H. Ismail el Shaer, Cairo, Egypt. Joseph Rucinski (1907-2005), Washington, D.C. and Key Biscayne, acquired from the above, 1961; thence by descent. Matheson’s Gallery, Melbourne, Florida, Very Important Estates Auction, 28-29 July 2007. Amero Auctions, Sarasota, Florida, Fine Arts, Antiques, and Jewelry Auction, 29 July 2018, Lot 15. Christie’s, New York, Antiquities, 12 April 2021, Lot 14.
Cast in bronze, this impressive and dignified looking cat is depicted in a conventional seated position. The detailing includes an incised wedjat pendant suspended from the nape, three-banded collar around the neck, and curled tail around the body and forepaws. In ancient Egypt, the cat personified Bastet, the goddess of fertility, pleasure, and good health. Those hoping to conceive or seeking protection against disease would make offerings to her. Mummified cats, as well as statues made of wood or bronze, like this present example, were dedicated to her and buried at her temples, functioning as votives for the deity.
As can be seen from it’s original purchase receipt dated 4 February 1961, and the ‘Letter of Appreciation’, Dr. Rucinski spent many years in East Asia and the Middle East working to help reduce global poverty through the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). From archival photographs of his collection, the cat was once displayed atop a verde antico base (still with the object), but has since been replaced with a modern one made from a 3000 year old bog oak carved in the form of a menat, the scared Egyptian symbol of the goddess Hathor.
For a comparable example of this bronze cat, see J. Malek, The Cat in Ancient Egypt, Philadelphia, 1993, p. 101, fig. 64; and, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Inv. no. 56.16.1). $50,000 - 70,000
30
An Egyptian Painted Limestone Stele of Simut, Second Prophet of Amun
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, REIGN OF AMENHOTEP III, 1391-1353 B.C. Height 8 inches (20 cm).
Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Collection PL, Nancy, France, prior to 1980.
Acquired from Arteas Ltd., London, via Galerie Gilgamesh, Paris, 2009.
Published: A Kozloff, Egypt’s Radiant Pharaoh, Cambridge, 2012, p. 243, fig. 49.
Exhibited: Brussels Ancient Art Fair, Belgium, 2010.
A seated figure labeled with the partially missing but securely restorable name of a son of the famous vizier Ramose, reading:
“[Si-m]ut son of [Ra-]mose.” The vizier Ramose is well known today for his own beautiful tomb in the Theban Necropolis. $8,000 - 12,000
31 An Egyptian Limestone Round-Topped Stele
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 304-30 B.C. Height 6 inches (15 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Noelle and Rob Mele, Connecticut, 1987.
Atop this stele is a lunette with winged solar disk, kneeling adorant, and Apis bull. Hieroglyphs to the right of the adorant read: ‘The Living Apis’. The four horizontal registers of hieroglyphs below the lunette are fragmented and read:. ‘[A]pis, the Osiris, the King’s Acquaintance, Sole Companion, Controller of Those Who Are In the Temple’; ‘..[Pedi]-Osiris-Wennofer, son of Ptah-ir-dis(u)’; ‘.. who salys]: O Apis’;’...to (?)..do/make (?)...’ $15,000 - 20,000
32 An Egyptian Limestone Relief of Ptolemy II
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, REIGN OF PTOLEMY II, 284-246 B.C. Length 21 1/7 inches (54 cm).
Provenance: Ancient World Arts, New York, 1980s. Sotheby’s, London, Antiquities, 19 May 1986, Lot 150. Private Collection, California, 1980s-2022.
This fragment is carved in sunken relief and records the two principal names of the Greek pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphos, each appearing in a cartouche. Placed beside the cartouches is a sun disk flanked by two cobras and ankhas, which symbolize the Eye of Ra. In ancient Egyptian religion, Ra was the all powerful sun god and the Eye of Ra were four female deities that enacted his power. Using divine imagery such as this for decoration on temples and tombs helped to substantiate Greek rule in ancient Egypt. Under Ptolemy II the empire reached its farthest extent and completed construction on the Lighthouse at Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. $8,000 - 12,000
33 Two Egyptian Gold Scarabs
LATE PERIOD, 25TH DYNASTY, 712-657 B.C. Height of largest 1 5/16 inch (3.5 cm). Property from the Collection of JRM, Washington, D.C.
Provenance: Private Collection (A.A.), United States. Art Market, New York. $1,000 - 2,000 34 Five Egyptian Gold Amulets including Papyrus, Nefer, Bes and Horus
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, 1550-1307 B.C. Height of largest 1/2 inch (1.27 cm). Property from the Collection of JRM, Washington, D.C.
Provenance: Private Collection (A.A.), United States. Art Market, New York. $500 - 700
35 An Egyptian Gilt Cartonnage Mummy Mask
Provenance: Henri Smeets, Weert, Netherlands, prior to 1975.
Published: E. Godet, et al., A Private Collection: A Catalogue of The Henri Smeets Collection, Weert, 1975, no. 32.
From as early as Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign, ancient Egypt has enchanted the Western world. In 1922, the British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the intact tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. It was the best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings. According to Howard, “It was a sight surpassing all precedent, and one we never dreamed of seeing.” News of the finding spread fast and sparked an immediate craze for all things ancient Egyptian. Egyptomania swept across Europe and the United States influencing the next century of art, architecture, and popular culture.
Initially a collector of 20th Century sculpture and paintings, it is undoubtable that the amazing discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb would have influenced the collecting habits of the young and still impressionable bookmaker, Henri E. Smeets (19051980). Indeed, Smeets would later spend a great deal of time and resources collecting important objects from ancient Egypt. In 1973, he lent a limestone head of an Amarna princess to the Brooklyn Museum, and in 1977, three years before his death, had a single owner sale of his entire antiquities collection in London, in which the sarcophagus mask seen here was included.
Apart from quality and date, the conventionalized facial features of this exquisite sarcophagus mask share stylistic traits with the mask of Tutankhamun, chief among them the gold face, calcite eyes, and lapis lazuli-colored inlays. Well-preserved and elaborately decorated with two images of Osiris, a winged scarab, and hieroglyphic inscription, this iconic mummy mask is emblematic of our modern-day fascination with the land of the ancient pharaohs and Nile River. $50,000 - 60,000
36 An Egyptian Sandstone Relief
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Length 17 1/2 inches (44.5 cm). Property from a California Private Collection
Provenance: Theodore and Aristea S. Halkedis, New York. Freeman’s Auction, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, English & Continental Furniture & Decorative Arts, 17 May 2016, Lot 105. [where catalogued as modern] $5,000 - 8,000
37 An Egyptian Cartonnage Mummy Mask
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 304-30 B.C. Height 14 3/16 inches (36.1 cm). Property from a New Jersey Private Collection
Provenance: J. Chapelle, P. Perrin, & D. Fromantin, Versailles, Catalogue de Vente aux Encheres, 16 June 1974, Lot 159. Artcurial, Paris, Archéologie & Arts d’Orient, 23 May 2017, Lot 27.
$3,000 - 5,000
38 An Egyptian Cartonnage Mummy Mask
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 304-30 B.C. Height 8 5/16 inches (21 cm). Property from a New York Private Collection
Provenance: Art Market, New York, 1990s-2006. $4,000 - 6,000
39 An Egyptian Sandstone Relief of Horus
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, AMARNA PERIOD, REIGN OF AKHENATEN, 1353-1335 B.C. Height 10 1/2 inches (27 cm). Property from a California Private Collection
Provenance: Anne Markley Spivak, Grosse Point, Michigan. DuMouchelles Fine Art Auctioneers, Detroit, Michigan, Fine Arts, Jewelry and Antique Furniture, 17 March 2018, Lot 31269. $4,000 - 6,000
40 An Egyptian Hematite Headrest Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 26TH-30TH DYNASTY, 664-343 B.C. Length 5/8 inches (1.59 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Charles Ede, Ltd., London, UK, 8 January 1985.
To ensure peaceful slumber in the afterlife, a headrest in amuletic form would be placed in the tomb of the deceased; likely used as a surrogate or in parallel with the full-scale headrest. From roughly the 26th Dynasty onward, headrest amulets were predominately fabricated from hematite, such as this example, or other dark-stone alternatives. For a similar form, see Blanchard, Egyptian Gods and Mummy Amulets, figs. 307 & 308. For a hematite headrest, see C. Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, University of Texas Press 1998, fig. 95a. $1,000 - 1,500
41 An Egyptian Alabaster Osiris
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD TO ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D. Height 4 inches (10.2 cm). Property from a California Private Collection
Provenance: Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities and Islamic Art, 12 June 1993, Lot 283. Fairfield Auction, Monroe, Connecticut, Connecticut Estates Auction, 16 November 2014, Lot 242. $3,000 - 5,000 42 A Romano-Egyptian Terracotta Plaque of Bes and Bessette
ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D. Height 5 inches (12.7 cm). Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Roger Khawam (1922-2016), Paris, France. Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2003.
$2,000 - 3,000
43 Two Egyptian Wood Arms
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 12TH DYNASTY, 1991-1783 B.C. Length of longest 10 5/16 inches (26.2 cm). Property from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain (1852-1929), France. Christie’s, London, Antiquities, 14 April 2011, Lots 17 & 33. Royal Athena Galleries, New York, January 2012 (Art of the Ancient World, Vol. XXIII, no. 90, p. 85). Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2013. $4,000 - 6,000
44 An Egyptian Bronze Mirror
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH-20TH DYNASTY, 1550-1070 B.C. Height 8 inches (20 cm). Property from a New York Private Collection
Provenance: Hótel Drouot, Paris, 4 December 1994, Lot 82.
The mirror is in the form of a slightly flattened disc, with a handle of striped alabaster in the form of the hieroglyphic hem, a symbol for kingship. $2,000 - 3,000
LATE PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C. Height 13 3/4 inches (34.9 cm).
Provenance: Alcibiades N. Oikonomides (d. 1988), Classical Professor at Loyola University, Chicago, acquired in the 1970s. Private Collection (M.B.), West Lake Village, California. Aphrodite Ancient Art, New York, 2018 (Ancient Portraits, Vol. VI, p. 5-6, no. 3). $5,000 - 7,000
47 An Egyptian Limestone Relief
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, AMARNA PERIOD, REIGN OF AKHENATEN, 1353-1335 B.C. Length 20 11/16 inches (52.7 cm).
Provenance: Private Collection, prior to 1969. Private Collection (B.L.), 1987. Royal Athena Gallery, New York (Inv. no. BL8701c.). Private Swiss-American Collection, New York, 1990. Private Collection, New York, acquired 2013.
Published: G. Roeder, Amarna-Reliefs aus Hermopolis, Hildesheim, 1969, p. 190, pl. 190, no. PC 117. $12,000 - 15,000
46 An Egyptian Wood Apis Bull
LATE PERIOD, 25TH-26TH DYNASTY, 712-525 B.C. Length 4 1/4 Inches (10.8 cm). Property from a California Private Collection
Provenance: Michel Abemayor, New York. Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, Antiquities, 11 December 1976, Lot 267. Associated Estate & Appraisal Co., Cranston, Rhode Island, 3 December 2005, Lot 2049D. Christie’s, New York, Antiquities, 4 June 2014, Lot 22. Stair Gallery, Hudson, New York, Objects & Curiosities from Around the World, 25 February 2017, Lot 10. $3,000 - 4,000
48 An Egyptian Red Jasper Trussed Ox
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH-20TH DYNASTY, 1550-1070 B.C. Length 15/16 inches (2.38 cm). Property from a Private Florida Collection
Provenance: Charles Ede, Ltd., London, UK, 1984. $1,000 - 1,500
49 An Egyptian Alabaster Head of a Jackal
Provenance: Private Collection, Europe. The Merrin Gallery, New York. Private Collection, New York, acquired 14 February 1989 (Inv. no. GR89).
In ancient Egypt, the jackal most commonly represented the god Anubis. Anubis was closely associated with the mummification process, and played an important role in protecting the deceased. In the Book of the Dead, Anubis is the “Guardian of the Scales” and responsible for judgement by weighing the human heart together with the Feather of Truth (Ma’at). If the heart is lighter than the feather, he will take the soul by boat across the Nile into the afterlife (Duat).
Among the finest known of its type, this head of a jackal once served as the lid to a canopic jar. While the overall shape is straightforward and minimal, its elegance is made evident by the subtle detailing around the eyes, snout, and ears. The effect is extraordinarily realistic. The master stoneworker who carved it must have been extremely familiar with the animal they were representing. Conceivably from a royal workshop, the overall quality is befitting a pharaoh.
For similar examples of jackal headed canopic jars, see Brooklyn Museum of Art (Inv. no. 37.894Ea-b), and Egyptian Museum, Berlin (Inv. no. ÄM 7191). $30,000 - 50,000
