Lot 8
  • 8

An Egyptian Limestone Torso of a King, 30th Dynasty/early Ptolemaic Period, circa 380-250 B.C.

Estimate
5,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description

  • An Egyptian Limestone Torso of a King
  • Limestone
  • Height 6 1/2 in. 16.5 cm.
probably a sculptor’s model or votive offering, striding and wearing a pleated royal kilt with off-center tab and long “streamer” falling from the belt, incised grid lines on the flat surfaces of the neck and right shoulder.

Provenance

Nicolas Landau (1887-1979), Paris
Galerie J. Kugel, Paris, and Axel Vervoordt, Belgium

Literature

Galerie J. Kugel and Axel Vervoordt, Hommage à Nicolas Landau, "Prince des Antiquaires" (1887-1979), Paris, 2006, cover illus.

Condition

Appears to be highly restored, especially the lower body, but the extant of restoration is hard to determine due to a layer of paint covering much of the surface. Much of the restoration seems evident on the proper right side and front of the kilt, where the pleats are not well executed.
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.

Catalogue Note

A torso of a king very similar in form in the Louvre, inv. no. E 22752, is inscribed for Nectanebo I (380-362 B.C.) (W. Seipel, Gott, Mensch, Pharao, Vienna, 1992, p. 473). Also compare Ägyptisches Museum Berlin, Berlin, 1967, nos. 970-971, G. Steindorff, Catalogue of the Egyptian Sculpture in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1947, nos. 295-296, and Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, November 21st-22nd, 1975, no. 390. For another torso with an unusual treatment of the belt see Brooklyn Museum of Art, inv. no. 51.67 (Brooklyn, Five Years of Collecting Egyptian Art, Brooklyn, 1956, pl. 33). For a recent study see N. Tomoum, The Sculptors' Models of the Late and Ptolemaic Periods, Cairo, 2005, pp. 74 and 84, cat. nos. 103-107, pls. 57-58.