An Egyptian Greywacke Bust of a Man, 2nd half of the 26th Dynasty, circa 600-525 B.C.

Wearing a broad smooth wig and a rectangular pectoral suspended from a necklace of finely carved chevrons, his youthful idealizing face with outlined lips rounded at the corners, almond-shaped eyes with finely contoured upper lids, and contoured tapering eyebrows in relief, the pectoral decorated in sunk relief with a striding king offering a statuette of Maat to the goddess Neith, two columns of inscription in sunk relief on the rectangular back pillar translating "Courtier, Administrator of the palace, Responsible for confidential affairs... Intendant of the Pure Place, Intendant of the workshop..."

Lady Iya Abdy, Paris (1901-1967)
Drouot-Richelieu, Paris, November 10th, 1993, no. 171, illus.
Jean-Luc Chalmin, London, 1994

 

The front as shown, edges of back pillar chipped and restored in places with red wax, the letters POE engraved on the back of the wig, a small chip on proper left side of wig filled with wax.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In Egyptian funerary terminology the phrase"Pure Place" designates the royal embalming chamber.

The modern base bears the stamp of Inagaki, the Paris-based Japanese base-maker who was mainly working between the two world wars.

Cf. B. v. Bothmer, H. de Meulenaere and H.W. Mueller, Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B.C. to A.D. 100, Brooklyn, 1960, no. 57, figs. 132-4